Cascading Stars
by cafalla
Summary: After the fall of Calamity Ganon, Link and Zelda travel to the Zora's Domain to pay their respects to Mipha. Link heads to Vah Ruta while Zelda stays behind at the Domain, and King Dorephan tasks Sidon with accompanying their royal guest. "Don't you go forgetting about me so easily." "I'd never." Sidon x Zelda. Slight Link/Mipha.
1. To the Domain

**A/N: Hello all! This is my first chapter fic, even though the idea only started out as a oneshot...so please, be**

 **This is an odd pairing, I know, but the idea came to me and I just began writing! I worked on it on and off for a few months, and I eventually got so sick of looking at it that I left it alone for a while.**

 **I recently came back to it and inspiration struck, so I managed to completely finish the story and I'm quite pleased!**

 **I advise going into this story thinking of it as a slight AU, as I had written the bulk of it long before I ever actually finished BOTW (I seriously had only visited the Zora Domain when I started writing, and it was my first divine beast haha oops).**

 **I haven't played any of the DLC either, and I'm not expertly versed in the politics/regions of the game/LOZ world, so apologies in advance.**

 **This story was mostly for my own amusement, but I hope you'll enjoy! ^^**

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 **CASCADING STARS**

A Sidon x Zelda fanfic

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"It's just as beautiful as I remember it!"

Zelda marveled at the Zora's Domain before turning to Link with hesitancy in her eyes, "I hope King Dorephan is doing well."

Her guardian knight offered a small nod and a reassuring smile at her concern. They had emerged from the battle with Calamity Ganon a few months prior, and after settling Hyrule castle, Zelda asked Link to accompany her to check up on her people in the aftermath of Ganon's downfall. He knew Zelda was unsure about returning and showing her face to the Zora, as guilt over their close comrade Mipha's death plagued her still. The princess was a kind soul, and felt the loss of her friends from long ago deeply to this day.

Link too, carried the burden of having survived the original fight with Calamity Ganon, but knew the Zora would be delighted to see Zelda after all this time. Even though he himself only earned their trust back after freeing them from Vah Ruta's wrath and freeing Mipha's spirit, he knew the Zora would always hold Zelda in the highest regard.

The pair crossed the long bridge leading up to the Domain, and Zelda couldn't tear her eyes away from the stunning waterfalls that gracefully flowed from the ancient Zora architecture. Not much physically has changed over the last hundred years.

She had always admired their designs and craftsmanship, and traveling to their Domain never ceased to amaze her with its simplistic yet powerful appearance hidden away deep in the mountains. The dark stone of their kingdom blended into the towering cliffs that surrounded them, and the many intertwining bridges and pathways allowed a feeling of connectivity to the world around them. What gave the Domain its ethereal presence was the radiance of the luminous stone lamps, which lit up the area in a soft blue glow.

The Zora's Domain was one with nature and the water that surrounded them, and Zelda admired the fact that the Zora were so in tune to the elements.

The damp air around them filled Zelda's lungs as she breathed in deeply, relishing the scent of wet stone and pine not found anywhere else except the Zora's Domain. She stretched her arms and threaded her hands behind her as they trekked across the long bridge, and cast a sidelong glance at her companion.

Link walked close to her side and his deep blue eyes flickered about, searching for any signs of an attack. A bittersweet smile found its way to her lips, and her heart felt heavy with guilt.

Even though they were in a safe place, because of his status as her guardian and escort, he had grown to become always vigilant while in her presence. Upon receiving this assignment, he had to give up his life from the soldier brotherhood to accompany her around, and Zelda hoped her gratitude for his hard work and loyalty was understood, as well as how much she valued his company and effort.

Zelda turned away and breathed softly, instead focusing on the Domain that lay ahead. The pair walked in comfortable silence, listening to the music of nature routinely interrupted by the sound of their boots scraping against the stone beneath them.

They quickly approached the entrance, and the Zora guard straightened up at the approaching figures.

His eyes widened at the sight of the two Hylians.

"Link, welcome back! And is this…are you…?" The Zora guard blinked incredulously at Zelda as realization dawned on his features.

She chuckled softly, "Hello, I am Zelda."

The guard looked between the two before sputtering out, "Y-Yes! Of course! I just...forgive me."

He clumsily bowed forward, "Welcome, Princess Zelda, to the Zora Domain! Let me lead you to the King's Chambers. "

Zelda and Link exchanged amused looks then followed after the Zora guard. As they walked through the square and up the steps leading to the throne room, the Zora gasped at the sight of the princess. They murmured amongst themselves, and Link inwardly mused that their reaction was much like when he first arrived.

Zelda was, after all, Hylian royalty, and though some of the Zora were too young to remember her, many who experienced the initial fight gawked at the sight of the Princess they thought long gone.

Link was now a well-known face in the Zora Domain, so all eyes were solely on the Hylian princess at his side.

Despite her ingrained, diplomatically calm demeanor, he could feel Zelda tense up as they neared the throne room. Link reached over to gently grab her hand and gave it a quick encouraging squeeze before releasing it. She smiled graciously at him.

"Your Highness, King Dorephan!" The guard called out as they entered the throne room, "Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule have arrived."

Both Hylians bowed before the King. The large Zora leaned forward, his eyes full of disbelief, "Princess Zelda…you are alive?"

Zelda raised herself up and straightened her posture. "Yes, with the help of Link, I was revived and managed to escape from Ganon's spell that kept me within the castle."

The King's eyes softened, "That is a relief to hear. Thank you for saving us from Calamity Ganon."

She smiled sadly, "I couldn't have done it without the help of the Champions. They are the ones who allowed Link and I the true strength needed to defeat Calamity Ganon. I came to see everyone and pay my respects to Champion Mipha and your people. I hope our sudden entrance is not intrusive…"

"My girl, you worry too much! I'm glad you both decided to visit. We are graced with your presence and kindness, dear Princess. It's also been a while since we have last seen hide or hair of Link."

At this Link sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. King Dorephan chuckled, and then spoke in a serious tone weighted with gratitude, "Thank you for honoring my Mipha by avenging her death and defeating Calamity Ganon…please, stay as long as you like and make yourselves at home!"

Zelda bowed once more and the Hylians took their exit. Link lead her around the Domain and introduced her to all the new Zora, who bombarded her with questions and fawned over her. She reconnected with the aged Zora whom she had known in their youth, and much time was spent catching up on all that had happened while she was trapped.

Link smiled at the sight of Zelda relaxing and chatting with everyone, but kept ever so vigilant into the night as the Zora hosted a small feast in welcoming for the Princess.

He wondered briefly where his friend Sidon had run off to, as he had yet to catch sight of the Zora Prince since their arrival. Normally the Zora man was the first to enthusiastically greet him on his visits to the Domain.

After hours of socializing and good food, the moon arched high in the sky and the impromptu festivities came to a close. Zelda stood beside Link as they overlooked the waterfall that crashed down below them.

"I'm glad we were able to come here, Link. It feels…soothing, to be here where Mipha grew up. I miss her dearly."

She closed her eyes and held her hands over her heart. The soft wind blew her hair slightly, and Link's ocean blue eyes analyzed every detail of her face.

"I wish she could be here with us. She has done so much for me, for the world, but I have done nothing in return for her…"

Link frowned as he recognized Zelda slipping back into her negative thoughts. He placed a hand on her shoulder and licked his lips before speaking for the first time since they had arrived.

His voice was rough from not having used it for a while, "I freed her spirit from Vah Ruta…she spoke to me, and she was happy."

 _So please, don't be sad._

Zelda met his gaze, and sensed the worry for her wellbeing swirling in his deep blue eyes. It pained her to know how much Link valued her happiness and healing above his own.

"I know, she never committed to anything half-heartedly. Mourning her will not bring her back. I just wish we could have done something different…something more to save her and everyone else…"

Link grunted in agreement and draped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close in a comforting side-hug.

Zelda let out a jagged sigh, and reminded herself that crying would not bring her champions back.

The two said nothing for a few moments as they wallowed in the weight of surviving the initial attack that took their friends' lives. Sorrow weighed heavy in the air between them, and after a few minutes of silently standing in solidarity together over their unspoken hardships, they collected themselves and turned to join the Zora in cleaning up after the impromptu party.

In the deep water below them, the Zora Prince disappeared under the water, his heart wrenching as he was reminded of the sacrifice his late sister made to ensure the two Hylians above him succeeded in their quest.

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 **A/N: As I had mentioned before, this story is more of less completed, though I've decided to only upload a chapter a week. The first couple of chapters may be a bit short, but there are plenty of lengthy chapters to come!** **Thank you for your interest!**

 _x_ cafalla


	2. First Meeting

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Zelda sipped her tea as she chatted with King Dorephan in his throne room.

They had been catching up over the past hour, as Link had wanted to spend the next few days trekking up the mountain to where the remains of Vah Ruta stood. She laughed politely with the Zora King as he wrapped up his zany tale of the time he and her father had gone on an expedition together back in their prime.

"Oh dear, you should have seen his face! I remem-"

His attention was stolen by something from the back of the room. The King smiled brightly and waved an arm, beckoning to someone behind her. "Ah, there you are, my boy. Way to make a late entrance. We have a special guest who arrived yesterday while you were away. Princess Zelda, this is my son, Prince Sidon."

Zelda placed her cup down and reached up to tuck her long golden hair behind her ear before turning to face the approaching footsteps that echoed throughout the chambers. The sight of the Zora clouded her with familiarity, and Zelda faltered a few seconds before realization dawned on her.

 _Prince_ Sidon.

If he was King Dorephan's son...then that meant he was Mipha's younger brother.

Except that the Prince stood much taller than Mipha had been, and Zelda racked her brain trying to remember him from long ago, but with dismay, realized she could not. Her heart raced as his blood-red coloring and bright eyes brought visions of his late sister into her mind. The silver adornments and armor he wore clinked together as he moved across the room with powerful strides. A gorgeous silver belt hung casually on his hips, and the emerald jewel at the buckle contrasted against his dark red scales. His head was held high, highlighting the regal shape of the shark-like features of his crown and fins that framed his face.

As he approached, Zelda could tell he was easily the second largest Zora after his father, though the prince was much more trim and muscular. She couldn't help but admire the elegance he held for such a sizable Zora.

"Princess Zelda? The one Link was searching for?" His deep voice rumbled through the throne room and he looked down at her where she was seated on a comically large throw pillow in front of his father. He held a hand to his chin in thought as he assessed her, and Zelda caught herself staring at his sharp nails as she nodded.

Upon realizing that she was still seated, Zelda bashfully stood and straightened her blue tunic.

"The same princess my sister swore allegiance to, huh? Just like Link, you're over one hundred years old and yet you haven't aged at all!" To her surprise, the intimidating Zora Prince childishly grinned down at her.

"I believe we may have met once when I was a child, but I would've been quite young then so I do not really recall...well, either way, it is nice to formally meet you now, Princess!" His amber eyes twinkled with kindness as he greeted her. Before she could reply, he knelt before her, held a fist to his chest, and bowed his head.

Zelda gaped at his formality, before stumbling to follow suit in the royal pleasantries.

"No, please, Prince Sidon, I ought to bow to you. Thank you for helping Link those many moons ago!"

Both royal descendants looked up from their bowing to meet each other's gaze. Blue eyes took in and admired his sharkish features and effortless grace – he truly was a Zora Prince if she'd ever seen one.

"And, just Zelda is fine." She quickly added, then awkwardly flattened her hands together in front of her as she straightened and watched him return to his lumbering height.

The Zora grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "Zelda it is then. Just Sidon is fine for me as well."

"I take it your patrol went well, Sidon?" The King asked loudly, drawing their attention back to him.

Sidon straightened, looked up to his father, and nodded, "Yes, I returned last night actually, though I left again early today to do inventory check on our weapons. Everything is rather calm and I was able to get rid of some monsters that were starting to build a fort nearby." King Dorephan nodded in approval.

"Am I…interrupting something?" Sidon looked to the tea cups and remembered that Zelda and his father had been talking before he approached the chambers.

"We were just starting the day by chatting over tea…" She trailed off, not really sure of what else to say.

So much for all those sessions of diplomatic hostessing she had to endure before the Calamity broke out. The Goddesses above where surely laughing at her.

"Princess Zelda and Sir Link have decided to travel to the kingdoms to mourn our fallen comrades and share their plans on rebuilding Hyrule," the King explained gracefully.

Sidon quirked an eyebrow as he realized his Hylian friend was not in sight. He knew Link had been here last night, but Sidon had yet to spy him around the Domain. "Where is Link? He is your escort, yes…?"

"Oh, Link is spending the next few days climbing up to Vah Ruta. He wanted to visit Mipha." Zelda's voice was soft as she mentioned her late friend and the loved one of the men she was in the company of.

Sidon stared curiously at her, and sensing the question in his eyes, Zelda quickly continued, "I think it was a trip he wanted to take alone. I don't think I'd be able to manage the trip anyways, and besides, I much prefer staying down here than climbing up the mountainside." She chuckled nervously after her small rambling, though her eyes held an underlying emotion Sidon couldn't quite grasp.

The Zora Prince nodded, accepting her answer, but not completely buying into it. It would be rude of him to press the matter, and decided it wasn't worth investing too much energy into deciphering Zelda's true intentions for not joining Link.

"I've got an idea!" The sudden exclamation from King Dorephan once again commanded the attention of the two royal heirs. "Sidon, why don't you take Zelda swimming? The water has been exceptionally refreshing lately. Or go show her around some! The poor girl doesn't need to be drinking tea with me when she could be out revisiting the beauty of our Domain!"

Sidon quirked an eyebrow at this, as he was not usually tasked with entertaining guests. He supposed this was a special case since it was the Princess of Hyrule visiting, and curiosity bubbled within him over the thought of getting to know the girl whom Link had been tasked his life to serve. "Alright, I'm up for it. So long as the Princess shall take my company?"

Zelda glanced up at the King who encouragingly smiled at her. Though she had anticipated keeping the King's company for most of her time at the Domain, it wouldn't hurt to get to know the man who would undoubtedly be ascending the Zora throne within her lifetime.

Her heart stung a bit as she remembered Mipha, her dear friend, and the true predecessor to the Zora throne.

Zelda did not find the thought of being escorted like a child down to the lake to swim to be a pleasing one. However, she did not wish to be rude, so she nodded, "I think that would be quite alright."

"Splendid! We will discuss politics later over dinner. Go! Enjoy the day." King Dorephan sipped his tea and waved the two royal heirs away.

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 **A/N: While writing this story, I envisioned Sidon as quite young before the Calamity, hence why Zelda cannot recognize him, nor he her, and why they are 'meeting for the first time'. Back then, he would've just been a young kid out playing with his friends or something, not hanging out and being involved in the Champions' business ;) Perhaps they may have met briefly, but with all that was going on in Zelda's life, and of course Sidon being very young, I do not think they would've registered heavily on each other's radar.** **Beyond that, I do not think of Sidon as vividly remembering Mipha from when she was alive, which will come up later on, so I hope that my take on it isn't too distracting. xx**


	3. Faces From the Past

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The Zora Prince led Zelda away from his father's throne room, and she bit her lip as a thought dawned on her. "Sidon, I'm afraid I don't have any swimming clothes…"

Her ocean blue eyes were large as she stared up at him, and he couldn't help but chuckle at her misplaced worry, "Don't worry about it. We do not have to swim, Father was merely suggesting I keep you company while Link is away. Since the staple attraction of our Domain is the lake and waterfalls, it's customary to show it off to guests. Even though he should know you've seen it all before."

Sidon shrugged, causing the chains on his armor to clink. "I think he just wants to make a good impression. It has been a long while since he had last seen you, and you did save us from Calamity Ganon after all."

"I see." Zelda quietly followed him down the steps.

Despite being a few steps behind him, Sidon still towered over her. Zelda couldn't help but stare at the beautiful silver cuff around his neck, and was reminded of Mipha's own lovely adornments. The Zora society tended to place high value in silver jewelry, and the Zora royals' jewelry was a notch above others, as they were typically encrusted with many other smaller jewels of various cuts.

Her attention flitted to settle on the shark-like tail trailing from Sidon's head, and she resisted the urge to reach out and touch it. Mipha oftentimes would allow Zelda to stroke her tail in their down time, as Zelda always admired how soft and silky the Zora's natural scales were. She banished the memory of petting Mipha and sharing girl talk with her Zora friend to the back of her mind.

Upon realizing Sidon was not speaking, Zelda hesitantly asked, "Are you sure this is alright? You accompanying me for the day, that is?"

Sidon turned his head to address her, causing his tail to sway with his movement, "I would not have agreed to it if it was an inconvenience. Besides, how often does one get the opportunity to freely hang out with the Princess of Hyrule!"

Upon noticing that Zelda retained a straight face, Sidon offered her a reassuring smile. "Really, do not worry. I ran patrols late last night and monster activity around the Domain has gone down considerably since Ganon has been rid of. My presence is not urgently needed, and truthfully it'll be nice to take a break for a while."

Zelda sighed in defeat, "Alright, though if you must attend to something else, do not worry about leaving me to my own devices. I would not want to put anyone out."

"Duly noted. I'm sure my father would absolutely _love_ to catch wind that I abandoned our esteemed guest who he personally entrusted in my care."

Sidon winked back at her, and Zelda lightly scoffed. They reached the foot of the stairs and Sidon motioned for her to follow him. He stopped at the base of the statue of Mipha in the square.

Sidon sat back against the smooth stone bench that encased the fountain. The Zora Prince noticed that his guest had halted in her tracks awkwardly a few feet away from him. He patted the stone beside him, "Hey, relax, Princess. A friend of Link's is a friend of mine. I don't bite."

She glanced between his unusually slitted eyes and the jagged points of his teeth.

 _He could bite if he wanted to_ , she dully thought, before sitting down beside him.

The pair sat in stiff silence as they looked out across the square and watched the shopkeepers slowly emerge to begin preparing for the day.

Sidon looked down at the Hylian girl, taking in her appearance now that he was away from the sharp eyes of his father. Her shoulders were scrunched as she leaned forward with her hands pressed flat against the stone seat. Zelda appeared to be the same size as Link, if not an inch or two taller, but as a female Hylian she had a much softer, shapely figure, and chose to grow her golden hair down to her waist. She sported a blue tunic much like Link's, though she wore tight fitting black leggings tucked into knee-high boots.

The Prince had to admit to himself after seeing both Link and Zelda, that he found their smaller, more compact Hylian form to be quite attractive.

Zelda made a noise under her breath, interrupting Sidon's thoughts.

Realizing he had been staring, he met her gaze and casually asked, "I take it your trip here went well?"

The Princess leaned back and crossed her arms as she tried to ignore the heat that rose to her cheeks over catching the man looking her up and down. He seemed rather nonchalant about it, so she figured he did not intend to be salacious in his ogling. Still, it was embarrassing to actively watch someone stare her down in an appraising manner. "Yes. Link is familiar with the area, so we managed to navigate through the mountains quite easily."

"And you are not? Familiar with this area, that is." That peaked his interest. From the way his father openly greeted the girl as if she were an old friend, he figured Zelda had visited many times before the Calamity.

"Well, I am...but I am not. Link always lead the way on our commutes. I never had as much time nor opportunity to freely explore and use the trails as often as he did. Y'know, royal duties and all." She waved her hand dismissively, "We have the Sheikah Slate which has the main routes outlined, but Link's raw knowledge of the terrain and its shortcuts is more useful."

Sidon hummed approvingly. "Link has always proven to be adept at managing his bearings while out in the wild. When I sent him to collect shock arrows from that dreaded lynel up on Ploymus Mountain, I honestly expected him to take a week or so just to figure out how to get up there. He ended up successfully returning early the next day!"

"That's unsurprising, given the severity of the mission. Just don't ask him to run errands for you, as Link can easily turn a simple task into a days long event." A small smile formed on her lips as she fondly thought of her charge, "That being said, I trust him with my life, but I wouldn't trust him to handle my shopping list in a timely manner."

Boisterous laughter erupted from Sidon, causing Zelda to recoil as she stared up at him. His eyes crinkled in mirth and his mouth was opened wide, revealing to Zelda his rows of razor sharp teeth. He held a clawed hand up to his cream colored belly as laughter shook his core.

"You're absolutely right! One morning, on a particularly calm day, I had asked if he could run down the Hateno bay and snag a few crabs. Our local store had run out, you see, and he didn't return until late that night with no crabs and a bag full of bokoblin parts! "

Zelda stifled a chuckle at his strangely cute expression as he excitedly recalled this tale of their lovable friend, now feeling more at ease beside the Zora Prince.

Sidon elaborated with his hands as he continued, "Apparently he had spotted a boar, and as he was hunting it, drew the attention of a pack of bokoblins nearby! He was chased all the way out to the fields by these bokoblins on horseback. Poor guy ended up running right through another separate bokoblin camp, which was why he returned so late! He spent all day trying to simultaneously fight off and run away from a whole army of those pigs!"

Zelda snorted and shook her head at the mental image, and Sidon grinned widely at her. "I'm glad this story amuses you as much as it did me. Link wouldn't hesitate to hit me with a shock arrow if he knew I disclosed it to you."

Their chuckles died down and Zelda returned his infectious grin and held a finger to her lips, "Don't worry, this tale from your secret vault of Link stories is safe with me."

The pair settled down, and their attention turned once more of the bustling of the Zora society around them. The shopkeepers had finished preparing their storefronts, and the other Zora began to emerge from their dwellings and enter the square as they began their day.

Sidon stretched and emitted a loud groan of satisfaction as his limbs cracked. The Zora Prince stood and looked down at his guest, "I doubt your idea of a good time is sitting here for hours Zora watching. What would you like to do today? I'm all yours."

Zelda held her chin in her hand, and looked up in a pensive manner. After a few moments, she brought her fist down to pat against her open palm as her face lit up with an idea. "Well, along the path to the Domain, Link and I came across a few stone tablets in the mountainsides. We stopped to read a couple, but while speaking with Jiahto last night over dinner, I learned that there are many more! Link has seen them all, but I haven't. Would it be too much of a request to go visit some of the nearby ones?"

She peered up to Sidon, as she tried to to gauge his reaction.

Sidon curiously pondered her request. He got the impression that Zelda had not been allowed much free time to roam around the Domain before the Calamity struck. A few new tablets had also been erected within the last one hundred or so years, and spoke of many recent incidents. Zelda would have been locked away during this time, so it made sense that she wanted to catch up on all that the Zora have deemed culturally or historically significant.

"Zelda, surely no request you could ever make of me would be 'too much'."

Zelda blushed at his reassurance and Sidon scratched his cheek in embarrassment upon realizing how heavy handed his statement sounded. "Uh, well, I mean you are our guest and it is my duty to see you around, and just going to visit the tablets sounds like a fine outing for the day."

Sidon motioned for her to follow him, and they began heading towards the main bridge. "I have not visited many of the tablets in years, so I ought to brush up on our history anyways. I'm a little rusty."

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The pair had been spent all afternoon casually chatting and visiting the various Zora tablets scattered around the mountains surrounding the Domain. They had just set out towards the final stone tablet on their radar when rain suddenly started to fall from the sky.

Sidon naturally was unbothered by this, but his Hylian companion squeaked and held her hands over her head before peeling away from his side to take cover.

He slowly followed her to a carved out crevice in the cliffside, and chuckled as he approached, amused at her pouting expression. "What, bothered by a little rain?"

Zelda frowned up at him as she wiped her hands over her now slightly-damp hair. "I'm usually not, but we are quite far from the Domain and I don't have an extra set of clothes."

She dramatically eyed him up and down, her eyes pointedly focusing on how the raindrops that littered his body simply slid right off his smooth scales and onto the dirt below. "I assume you've never had the displeasure of walking long distances in damp clothing?"

Sidon felt himself grow hot under her gaze, and for the first time in a long while felt self-conscious about the Zora's natural state of undress.

This was what he deserved for openly staring at her earlier.

"No, I haven't. My apologies."

He stood awkwardly, unsure what else to say in fear he had offended her. Zelda held her nose up, but her mischievous grin betrayed her serious act. "Never question the motives of a Lady. You should be sorry."

Sidon smirked as her more playful side revealed itself once more. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the rock wall, and allowed his amber gaze to divert from the Princess to scan the clearing for danger. Despite the overall decrease in monster activity, they had managed to wander quite far from the main paths nearest to the Domain.

He had occasionally caught monsters wandering around this area, but with the rain now coming down roughly, Sidon was sure any nearby monsters would have ran for cover just as they had.

By his side, Zelda unhooked something from her belt, and upon seeing the screen light up, realized it was Link's Sheikah Slate.

"Why did Link leave his slate behind?"

Zelda did not look up as her finger traced the path they had recently walked, effectively logging it into her slate map. "This is actually _my_ Sheikah Slate. I had left it with Link when he was sealed away. I knew he'd have to deal with the aftermath of the Calamity, and the slate was a great tool to give him some assistance in my stead."

He hummed in understanding and quietly watched Zelda tap away on the slate.

After a few minutes, Sidon grew bored of the silence between them and casually asked, "So, what are you looking at?"

"I'm going over the photos from when Link and I visited Fort Hateno." She offered the slate to Sidon, who wordlessly accepted it.

He was surprised by how tiny the Sheikah Slate looked in his own hands, as it always appeared clunky when his Hylian friends held it.

Zelda leaned in closer and stood on her tip-toes in order to instruct Sidon on how to swipe the slate to flip between photos. A faint aroma of vanilla wafted up, and Sidon decided Zelda held a pleasant natural scent.

"Before the Calamity, I was researching the mechanisms behind Sheikah technology. I used to travel all over to document and study their creations."

Sidon flipped to another picture of many dilapidated guardians, and hummed for her to continue. He swiped through the photos, unsure of what many of them were even supposed to be depicting.

"Their technology was a marvel back then, but given the fact that it still remains around the world to this day is just amazing!"

Sidon couldn't help but smile softly at her passionate exclamation. He hadn't expected the chosen savior of Hyrule to be quite so studious, but he respected her intelligence and drive for trying to figure out the secrets of something that obviously intrigued her.

He flipped to a picture of what appeared to be some kind of blue energy harnessed in a strange looking metal container. Sidon had no idea what it was or why there was a photo of it, but it must have been important for Zelda's research.

Said Princess continued to muse out loud about her research, and Sidon continued nodding along while enjoying her animated explanations. As he swiped to view the next photo, he suddenly paused. His mouth became dry as his eyes focused in on the colorful photo.

On the screen was a picture was of Zelda surrounded by her Champions in a group photo, but what immediately caught his attention was the small red Zora pulled in close at Link's side.

It was his sister, Mipha.

Sidon stared down at her serene smile and kind eyes. This was the first time he had seen his sister since before her death when he was very young, apart from the serious stone expression held by her statue at the Domain.

She looked so vibrant, so happy, and so very _alive_ , that Sidon was taken aback.

The Zora Prince stared down at his long gone sister, his heart aching at the vague familiarity of her smile.

It was surprising to see that she was quite small for a Zora, as she only stood a couple inches taller than Link and Zelda, while Sidon in turn towered over them. He supposed Mipha had been much younger back then than he currently was now, so she may not have lived long enough to grow to her full height.

The fact that Link had a gentle grip on Mipha's arm, holding her close to his side, did not go unnoticed by Sidon.

His amber eyes scanned over the rest of the Champions before landing on Zelda. She was standing beside Link, though she was quite literally taken under the wing by her Rito Champion. The Rito man's wing was draped over her shoulder as he leaned in close with his head tilted slightly to rest atop hers. A smug expression lit up his emerald eyes while Zelda simply smiled prettily.

An odd sensation welled within Sidon's stomach at the sight of the Rito man holding Zelda. Sidon frowned in confusion as he tried to place why he felt uncomfortable by their closeness.

If anything, he should've been more bothered by Link and Mipha's contact.

Sidon ignored the feeling and forced his attention to the other Champions, and a wave of shame washed over him upon realizing he could not recall any of their names.

Sidon looked back to his sister, trying to drink in her appearance and commit it to memory.

The Hylian girl at his side seemed to have realized the change in his expression, for she stopped talking mid-sentence, gently tapped him on the arm, and asked, "Sidon, what is it?"

He tore away from the photo and turned the slate down to show Zelda. She blinked, then her mouth slightly fell ajar at the sight of her dear friends.

Sidon gulped down the guilt he now felt for creating such a crestfallen expression on her face.

Zelda reached out to take the slate from him. He watched as she gently ran a finger over each of their faces, as if caressing their cheeks.

Her touch lingered a bit longer on the Rito man, and Sidon couldn't help but blurt out, "He was special to you?"

Zelda's eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at the slate and she softly replied, "They were all very special to me."

She clicked the power button off, and the photo was immediately drowned in darkness. A sharp snapping sound echoed around them as she clipped the slate back onto her belt.

"Though admittedly, Revali was special to me in a way unlike the others, yes."

As if the Goddess above could sense the blanket of tension that had settled over them, the heavy rain suddenly dissipated until it was nothing more than a gentle mist.

Zelda began to walk out from under the cover of the indented rock awning and cleared her throat before turning to Sidon with a forced smile, "Well, we better get going. I don't want to miss seeing the final tablet!"

Her long blonde hair whipped in the air as she spun on her heel and began jogging back towards the path they had been previously traveling on.

Sidon breathed deeply in an effort to reset his nerves before following after her.

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 **A/N: I have read over and edited this chapter so many times that I'm certain I'll never be satisfied with it. I also have discovered I'm not happy with how I originally decided to break up the chapters...so, apologies for the weird transition in this chapter. It's a bit jarring, I know, but I feel guilty for having the first 2 chapters be so short! I'm hoping the length of this one makes up for it!**

 **Though it hasn't been written yet, I have a plot swirling in my head for a pre-calamity Revali/Zelda fic, and I couldn't resist alluding to it while writing this. I know that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hey, this is a Sidon/Zelda fic, so it doesn't seem /that/ outside the realm of possibility haha. It's my story, I'll do what I want :p**

 **xx**


	4. Unveiled Understanding

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They had spoke nothing further on the subject of the group photo, and Sidon thought it best to leave it that way.

Zelda did not seem angry at him, which he was glad for, but her long gone Champions were definitely a sore spot that Sidon now knew to not bring up - especially if it concerned her Rito Champion.

He was thankful they had settled back into comfortable small talk, though it was approaching twilight by the time they reached the final tablet. The luminous stone lamps posted on either side of the stone slowly buzzed to light as the sun began to disappear.

After reading the tablet aloud to her, the Prince crossed his arms as he watched his Hylian companion tilted her head as she regarded the Zora text outlining his battle with the gargantuan cctorock that had terrorized Hateno Bay.

"Is that how you got…"

Sidon quirked his brow as Zelda motioned to her head. He held his hand up to the side of his shark-like temple, and when his fingers ran over the deep jagged scar, he realized what she meant.

"Oh, yes." He pursed his lips in disgust at the memory of having been swallowed whole by that slimy cctorock. "I am happy I was able to help rid the bay of that beast, but I loathe that they chose that story to engrave…"

He trailed off, causing Zelda to turn to quirk an eyebrow as she watched him with a curious expression.

Was he... _embarrassed_?

This confession surprised her, as Sidon had been overzealous in elaborating on the other stories told by the tablets, but at the one in his honor he had grown to look withdrawn and rather uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?"

Amber eyes looked away from her expectant gaze.

"Well…" He licked his lips as he fought to swallow his hesitancy. Zelda waited patiently for him to continue. "Honestly, compared to everyone else in my family, having a tablet that describes how I was unceremoniously swallowed by an cctorock off all things is…certainly not as impressive…" His lips quirked in a slight grimace, and he rubbed the back of his neck in a way that reminded her of Link.

Zelda frowned, but considered his words for a moment. He had seemed so proud while visiting the tablets honoring Mipha and his father's war victories. Even his mother, the late Zora Queen, had a tablet honoring her for her faith and love that went into crafting the first Zora scale armor.

For some reason Sidon did not feel proud of his accomplishment of ridding Hateno Bay of the disastrous creature, which to Zelda sounded as if it was a much more serious affair than having to deal with a typical cctorock.

"It may not seem impressive to you, but that doesn't mean it isn't deserving of recognition."

Zelda could see the disdain in his eyes that signaled his disagreement as he glared daggers at the tablet.

The Princess pouted and poked his arm, drawing Sidon's attention to her. "Even though it was not a battle amidst a war, I think you ought to at least feel pride in knowing your people trust you to take their problems seriously. I think sacrificing your safety by jumping to the aid of those who cannot defend themselves is nothing to be scoffed at. That's the part that everyone will remember once you become King."

"Ugh. Do not remind me. Truthfully, I'm not prepared to take on such a responsibility." The Zora Prince reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Zelda's eyes softened in understanding. "Truthfully, I don't think anyone is ever ready to take on that kind of responsibility. But when you do take the throne, your people will be able to rest easy knowing their King will vigilantly watch over them."

Sidon flinched with guilt at this, as he knew she was genuinely speaking from experience. He unfurled his crossed arms while keeping his gaze on Zelda, who was smiling politely up at him.

He had given her little to go off of, yet she hit the nail right on the head.

"You are very wise, Princess. I just wish there was something more I could do."

Zelda turned back to glance over the tablet. Sidon skimmed over the entry once more and murmured more to himself than to the Hylian girl at his side, "But I understand. I was able to defeat a creature that was terrorizing my people and ensure no one else would suffer an awful fate. That's all that matters, and that's why they chose to engrave this story. I had been looking at it all wrong."

Zelda nodded in agreement. He peered down at her kind expression and flushed at the realization that he had so openly confessed his insecurity to her.

They had only been in each other's company for a few hours, but Sidon felt oddly calm and comfortable with her, even though things had been quite stiff between them earlier on.

Was this how Mipha felt when she was with Zelda?

It was nice to open up to someone about something he could not comfortably confide to his father. He had spoken of some of his woes to Link, but the Hylian man was not one for words, so it was oftentimes difficult for Sidon to gauge his reaction or get feedback.

"Besides, surely your assistance to Link in putting Vah Ruta to rest will be marked down in the next tablet. But I can understand feeling embarrassed over not living up to your ancestor's accomplishments…" It was Zelda's turn to trail off.

A wry smile twisted his lips, and Sidon planted his hands on his hips as he leaned down closer at her sudden withdrawal. "Have you experienced something similar? Oh, please tell me you were unceremoniously swallowed by an Octorock too, that would make me feel worlds better."

This caused Zelda to smirk and gently shove his arm. "Oh, no, fortunately I am too cunning to be caught by an Octorock!"

Ah, well at least she seemed to be warming up to him as well.

Sidon playfully pouted, and Zelda shifted her weight as she stared at the tablet in front of them. "I suppose it is only fair. When we were preparing for the initial battle with Ganon, I was not well versed in my powers."

The Zora prince's eyes widened in surprise, but Zelda didn't notice as she was focused on the tablet ahead, her mind clearly elsewhere.

She wrung her hands together in an effort to exorcise her anxiety. Sidon had opened up to her about his insecurity, and she wanted to return the sentiment by sharing more of her past with the Prince. He was going to eventually become her confidant and ally, so establishing a connection of mutual trust was a good place to start.

Plus, Sidon had become Link's best friend since his awakening, and according to her guardian, was always available and willing to help in any way that he could during Link's journey.

She trusted Link's judgement of character.

"I worked for months on end trying to hone the powers of the Goddess that I was prophesied to exhibit, but I had nothing to show for it. I prayed day in and day out. I trained my body and soul to be worthy of awakening and receiving the power to help defend our Kingdom, and nothing happened."

She turned up to the large crimson Zora at her side, and evenly met his gaze. Her voice was heavy with conviction, "We went into battle ill-prepared, all because I did not take naturally to the power I was destined to have as all the incarnations before me. Because of that, everyone needlessly suffered."

Pain contorted her rosebud lips into a frown, and Sidon felt his heart clench at the sight.

He was reminded of her guarded reaction to the photo from earlier. It was difficult to keep in mind that the girl in front of him had been alive those hundred years ago, and had witnessed firsthand the demise of her beloved champions, including his sister.

Princess Zelda, the Goddess incarnate and girl of legend, despite being someone close to his family, had always seemed so distant and unobtainable. It was as if she was an imaginary person created to serve as a beacon of hope for scared children to turn to when darkness struck.

Yet, here she was, real and very much alive, standing right in front of him as she mused over a past life he could never even begin to comprehend.

"My powers did eventually come, and with the help of Link and the spirits of my champions, we were able to defeat Ganon." Her voice sounded far away as she admitted, "We were victorious, but I still can't help but agonize over my shortcomings from back then."

And here he was complaining about having a tablet carved in his honor, which was meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Heat rose to his face in embarrassment – despite being over a hundred years old he still felt like a child.

Sidon placed a hand on her shoulder. "You do not give yourself enough credit, Zelda. Everyone knows the Calamity could've been much worse if not for you holding Ganon back in Hyrule Castle all these years."

Zelda seemed to snap out of her reverie, and waved her hands in a desperate attempt to ward off the somber mood. "Ah, sorry! Please do not worry, it's all in the past now anyways, right? I just wanted to share, since you so kindly shared something personal with me. And because I acted a bit standoffish earlier...I just was not prepared to see that photo again after all this time."

Sidon withdrew his hand and Zelda continued, "We need to share our experiences openly like this and bridge the divide the Calamity has forged between the regions. We must make an effort to understand each other and work towards building a bright new future."

"Sounds good to me. Finally, my first hand experience with the intricacy of the inside of an octorock's stomach will come in handy!" He gave her one of his trademark thumbs up and a friendly grin, earning a laugh of acceptance from the girl.

Sidon's heart was at ease now. He had been a bit on edge since the photo incident, but felt they had reached a peaceful understanding of one another.

"It's getting late. We ought to be heading back, yes?"

Sidon nodded, and the pair set off on the winding trail leading back to the Domain. As the gravel crunched beneath their feet, the Zora Prince occasionally snuck glances down at his companion. She had pulled her slate back out and he saw her mark the place where his tablet had been with a star.

Sidon's lip quirked into a smile at this.

The Zora Prince allowed his mind to wander as they neared the main bridge, and as he reflected on their conversation, an overwhelming feeling began to well in his chest.

Sidon realized he was proud to be trusted and accepted by Zelda, and to walk by her side as a companion just as Mipha had all those years ago.

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 **A/N:** **Whew, this chapter took a lot out of me. I constantly rewrote their thoughts and exchanges, and I hope I succeeded in making their conversation appear natural. Dialogue has always been difficult for me, as I tend to write on and on about thoughts and observations for pages before realizing the characters haven't spoken to each other at all! ^^;**

 **I think Ruto may have been the one to craft the Zora Armor (it has been so long since I played, so I genuinely can't remember), but I just attributed it to Sidon's mother. She deserves an honorable mention haha!**

 **Hmm, I realize that spilling this heavy stuff so soon may seem rushed, but I think it allows them to push the elephant out of the room, the Vah Ruta if you may (lol), so that they can acknowledge where each other stands and begin to settle into a comfortable friendship, especially because they were so superficially tense over the photo. I hope I was able to successfully convey that idea.**

 **Also consistent** **chapter lengths? I don't know her (LOL)**

 **xx**


	5. Armour

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Zelda spent the following morning browsing the local shops and conversing with the townspeople who were out and about running errands. She had been approached by some of the Zora children to join them in their games, and the Hylian Princess joyfully obliged. After a few rounds of tag around the square, the children were tired and gathered around to listen to Zelda tell stories beneath the statue of Mipha.

"Oi, Zelda!"

At the call of her name, the Zora children perked up and dispersed to run up to their Prince. A chorus of chatter rang out at the Zora Prince's feet, and Zelda smiled at the sight. She stood and dusted off her pants as she joined them by his side.

"How come you get to call Princess Zelda by her name and not Princess?" A small Zora girl questioned as she held her arms up to Sidon, beckoning to be picked up. Sidon obliged and swooped down to scoop the girl up, who giggled with joy at being held up high by her beloved Prince.

"That's because Zelda and I are friends!"

A chorus of "oh's" and "ah's" rang out from the children, and Zelda quickly interjected, "But you are all my friends, too! It is okay to just call me Zelda, if you so wish."

The warm smile from their Hylian guest caused the children to jump up and down and echo Zelda's name amongst each other, earning a snort of amusement from Sidon.

"Zelda and I have to go attend to some royal duties. It's almost lunch time, so run home and eat a nice big meal. You want to grow up big and strong like me, right?"

Sidon placed the Zora girl in his arms down and flexed in an exaggerated manner, earning praise from the children. Zelda scoffed, but hesitantly averted her gaze from the sight of his muscles that rippled beneath his taunt scales. The children began to run off towards their homes, all while calling and waving back to the royal heirs, who in turn politely waved back.

"You are a good leader, Sidon."

Surprised by her blunt observation, Sidon quirked his brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you are beloved by your people. Children, despite seeming naive, are actually quite hard to win over, and they all jumped at the chance to run to your side. Although, I'm surprised they immediately followed your instructions."

Sidon grinned while offering her his signature wink and thumbs up, "They all want to be like me, so they do whatever I say."

This caused her to roll her eyes, and he laughed before seriously replying, "They are great kids. I'm honored to offer them a safe and beautiful Domain to grow up in. Oh, by the way, I was going to ask if you actually wanted to go swimming today."

Zelda tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Sidon, "Is that one of the royal duties we must attend to?"

Sidon blew a raspberry in amusement and Zelda smirked. "That would be fun, but I don't have any swimming clothes, remember? Hylians aren't gifted with a layer of naturally sleek scales made for swimming."

"You think my scales are sleek, huh?" He winked at Zelda and let out a rumbling laugh as he watched her face redden and her expression turn into one of shame.

"I-I did not mean it that way!"

"Sure, sure."

Zelda tried to frown as she willed her embarrassment to go away. Even though it was a bit embarrassing, Zelda realized she found some enjoyment from Sidon's subtle flirtatious jabs.

An idea quickly came to mind. "Oh! I can check and see if Link left anything…he often lets me borrow his shirts and armour if the situation arises!"

She began down the stairs towards their room at the inn with the Zora Prince following closely behind. Zelda reached underneath Link's bed and pulled out a bag, rummaging through it as she attempted to locate suitable swimming attire.

An "ah-hah!" escaped her lips as she found the armour Mipha had carefully made for Link. Zelda plopped down on the bed and held the clothing gently in her lap. Nimble fingers rubbed the silky fabric and her heart lurched at the thought of Mipha lovingly stitching the shirt for Link.

"I…perhaps I shouldn't take this. Link had let me wear it a few times, but he was always with me when I did so. It feels wrong to take it while he is not present…I don't want to disrespect Mipha."

Zelda rummaged through her friend's pack once more, but all she could locate were his cold weather tunics and heavy coats. Link must have taken his tanks and lighter clothing with him.

Sidon looked down at the silky blue fabric in her lap. Blurry memories of his sister curled up stitching the clothing as she occasionally glanced up to stare at the falls entered his mind. His sister had really poured her heart and soul into the shirt, as was customary when creating a courting gift. Sidon sensed where Zelda's worries stemmed from, but he also knew that this girl was just as important to Mipha as Link was.

The Prince gracefully sat on the bed opposite Zelda as he watched her hands nervously clutch the armour, "We're just going to swim. It's not like you're planning on tearing it up to use as a kerchief or anything offensive."

Zelda stared up at him with a conflicted expression.

"I don't think taking it out for a swim will tarnish her memory." His voice was gentle as he reached across to touch the shirt, and was surprised by how slick and cool it felt between his fingers.

If Zelda touched him, would she think his own scales felt this soft against her skin?

The Prince offered her an encouraging smile, "It's not doing Link any good rotting away in his bag. Let's take it out for a spin!"

"I don't know…"

"It is alright." He stood and puffed his chest out while speaking in an exaggeratedly dignified voice, "I am the Prince of this Domain and I do ordain that you, Princess Zelda, are allowed to borrow Link's armour! It is in the best interest of us Zora that you are secure while entering our waters, and in your best interest to be able to swim with proper clothing."

Zelda giggled at his antics, and Sidon felt relieved that she was no longer frowning with worry.

"Go ahead and get changed," He began walking away and lightheartedly waved a hand, "Meet me over by the east bridge."

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Sidon watched the water flow beneath the bridge as his mind drifted to the Princess. The woman of legend who had been tasked with defeating the most powerful evil in the world was surprisingly more fragile than he had anticipated. Sidon always held the childish notion that Zelda of Hyrule was an all righteous being who laughed in the face of danger and ate lynels for breakfast. She was powerful, Sidon had no doubt, but she was also so so so small, and allowed her past failures to consume her.

The soft padding of footsteps drew his attention, and the Prince looked up to see Zelda approaching. His eyes widened as they fell upon the Zora armour his sister had crafted, as it suctioned to the princess's torso in a way that showed off her form that had been hidden beneath her loose tunic. As the armour was made specifically for Link's body, it was a bit loose across her shoulders and neckline, but fit snug against her chest. The scales of the armour softly glittered in the sunlight, and Sidon's mouth went dry as he averted his gaze, not wishing to offend her as he had done yesterday.

"Hello." Zelda waved as she approached.

"Hello, Zelda!" He greeted her back a little too quickly as he watched her tug self-consciously at the hem of the Zora armour.

"I'm definitely not Link in this armour, am I?" She nervously chucked and the prince felt heat rise to his cheeks as he glanced at her body again. He noticed she wore black tights much like her earlier ones, though these ones were shorter, reaching about mid-thigh.

"No, but that's probably for the better. Link's swimming skills could definitely be improved upon. Perhaps you're better equipped to handle that armour?"

Zelda shrugged. "Maybe. I had a few swimming lessons as a child, so I may fare a bit better."

Despite her claim, she looked up with a hesitant expression.

"That's alright, everyone has to start somewhere. Wanting to try something, and making and effort is the first step towards becoming adept anyways."

Zelda beamed back at him from the encouragement.

"Okay, so…how do we get down there?" She leaned over the railing to stare into the water far below. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach from the mild vertigo at the sight of the drop. Her blue eyes scanned the vicinity looking for a way down.

"Well, we usually just-"

Sidon stopped as Zelda shot a hand out at him. She turned to him with horror on her face as she realized she had not seen any ladders leading to the water at all in the Domain.

"Wait…I forgot! Ugh, don't tell me you jump!?"

Sidon blinked, momentarily taken aback by her outburst. "Uh, we don't jump? We dive. It's different, more sophisticated."

Sidon cheekily grinned, though Zelda just stared back at him with a deadpan expression. "I'd rather not."

A small patch of beachy land poking out from the side of the cliff caught her attention. "How about I paraglide over there, and slowly enter the water from the shore?"

Sidon followed her gaze and shrugged, "Not sure why you can't dive into water but will jump the same height drift to land."

She pouted up at him and the Zora Prince waved his hand in defeat, "Go ahead and do that, but you're missing out on all the fun of diving from so high up!"

Zelda scoffed.

"Seriously, it's a great rush. I'll get you to dive with me, just you wait."

The princess pulled herself up on the ledge and unfolded a paraglider from her pack that closely resembled Link's. She rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you will."

Sidon couldn't help chuckling as she leapt off and began gliding to their targeted spot of land. The Zora prince watched her long blonde hair billow in the wind for a moment before diving off the bridge and swimming after her.

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 **A/N: I don't really have much to say about this chapter other than I really enjoy writing their friendship ^^ Another short chapter again though, I apologize xx**


	6. Swimming Lesson

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Ice cold water lapped against her thighs as Zelda tentatively waded out into the water towards Sidon.

"Remember how earlier I said I may be slightly better than Link at swimming?" She called out as she felt around the lake floor with her toes, "Forgive me but, that was a lie. I did take lessons when I was younger, but I did not fare very well. Link can at least keep afloat while I, on the other hand, have never been able to actually swim in water that was deeper than I am tall."

The Princess smiled sheepishly as the Zora man far out into the water chuckled. So that was why she was afraid to jump directly into the water.

Sidon swam towards her until he was reached the bank to sidle up beside her.

The Zora prince towered over her, and Zelda had to crane her neck up to look at him. Even though she had been in his company for long enough to become accustomed to his sheer size, she still found herself slightly awestruck whenever he stood close by.

A large crimson hand gently landed on her shoulder as he bowed forward and gave her a cheeky thumbs-up, "Lucky for you, I'm the best swimmer around. Let's try going a bit farther out."

He moved from her side to wade back into the water until it reached up to his chest, but because of his height he was standing in an area where Zelda would not be able to touch the ground.

The spark in his eyes was empowering, and Zelda found herself drawn to his presence.

She breathed deeply and let her fingertips barely graze the surface of the water around her as she slowly stepped farther down the bank.

 _This isn't so bad, it's just like wading in the fountain for prayer_.

Eventually she reached the point where her feet fell out from below her, and fear must have flashed across her face, because Sidon cautiously moved closer.

"It's okay. It's only intimidating until you get out here and actually move around. Don't worry, I'm right here."

Zelda mustered up her courage and pressed on, but gasped as the ground disappeared beneath her and she sank under the water. Instinct kicked in and her arms and legs started flailing around in an effort to push herself to the surface.

Large hands grabbed her waist and pulled her above the water.

"Hold onto my hands and try to lay on your stomach, then kick behind you. I've got you."

The waterfalls crashing down the cliffs and from the Domain above helped to drown out the sound of her rapidly beating heart, and the fear of being out in deep open water started to fade away as she followed his command and gently kicked her legs. Sidon's voice was smooth as his gentle instructions reached her ears over the splashing.

Zelda felt a bit foolish at first, but found that the motion was easier than she had originally thought. After a couple minutes of adjusting to the foreign motion, she was soon able to suspend herself in the water without sinking. "Am I doing it right?"

Her grip in Sidon's hands tightened as she dared to glance back to look at her legs kicking out behind her. Water splashed up into her face and she sputtered and frowned as Sidon laughed.

His smile was so radiant that it practically blinded her.

"It seems like you are, but us Zora have a different swimming method. I figured copying Link's form would be easier for you than trying to swim how we do. Though, I can try and teach you our way if you'd like. But you'll have to be able to actually swim on your own first."

With Sidon's help, Zelda peddled back until she was standing on firm ground again. The sun was high in the sky, and they had the whole day ahead of them to practice swimming. She wiped her brow and replied, "Let me take a breather, and then I'd like to try again."

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By the end of the day, Zelda was beat.

Sidon had spent hours teaching her how to swim, and after a while she was able to decently doggy-paddle about without him needing to support her.

She had been quite proud over her accomplishment, but her inflated ego was short-lived when Sidon displayed his true swimming ability.

The Zora prince had circled her, swam around the whole lake, and returned to her side in the blink of an eye, all while effortlessly doing jumps, tricks, and flips the whole way. Zelda had been in awe, and felt she obtained a deeper respect for the stamina and endurance the Zora clan exhibited. It certainly helped that Zora bodies were more lithe and hydrodynamic than her Hylian body was, but she could tell Sidon's powerful agility in water was largely built upon practice and discipline.

He had attempted to teach her the unique way of Zora swimming, but she ended up flopping about in a pathetic manner.

Sidon had laughed so hard he choked, and Zelda relished the satisfied feeling that grew in her chest at knowing she was the one who put such a brilliant smile on his face - even if it was at the expense of her dignity.

As they walked up the steps to head back towards the throne room, a group of Zora women and girls crowded around the two royal heirs.

"Prince Sidon, did you just go swimming? You should've invited us!"

"Wow, Princess, your hair is so much longer than Link's!"

"Mr. Sidon, can you critique my diving? I've been practicing just like you told me to!"

"How come you'll hang out with Princess Zelda and not us?"

"Have you eaten yet, Prince Sidon? I just finished making an extra spicy trout soup - your favorite!"

The Zora girls tried to get as close as possible to Sidon, while the women grabbed at Zelda's golden strands and eyed her up and down in a calculated manner. The onslaught of attention frazzled the still dripping wet Zelda, who could only stare back at them widely in confusion.

Sidon couldn't help but stifle a smirk at the incredulous look on Zelda's face from being bombarded by the group of Zora, but quickly put his formal façade back up.

"Good evening ladies, I think Princess Zelda here has had a long day. We are on our way to visit my father." Sidon moved behind his Hylian guest and grabbed her shoulders, gently pushing her along out of the fray and up the stairs leading towards the throne room.

The fan group whined but did not follow, for they knew better than to crowd into their King's throne room without having proper business with him.

Sidon breathlessly laughed at Zelda's stunned face as they stood behind a pillar in the foyer and out of sight of the fangirls.

His father was currently discussing something intently with one of the elders, and didn't even seem to notice the two standing off on the other side of the room.

"They're a bit much, aren't they?" Sidon chuckled as he tilted his head back towards the bottom of the steps.

"It reminds me of when I had to attend to my royal duties at the castle, though the counselors were less…enthusiastic. Are they normally that aggressive?" Zelda rubbed her cold arms and peeked around the pillar back down towards where they had been stopped. One of the Zora women locked eyes with Zelda, and she recoiled back behind the safety of the pillar and stifled a laugh as Sidon knowingly rolled his eyes.

"Some days they're bolder than others. I think they couldn't contain themselves because they saw me with a visitor. They do the same when I am hanging out with Link, except some of them actually do try flirting with him as well!"

Zelda giggled at the thought of a flustered Link being bombarded with flirtatious advances. She knew he only held feelings for one Zora, and admittedly Zelda had not witnessed flirting attempts towards her guardian, probably because no suitor would dare to flirt with him while she was in their presence. "They all seem nice enough though."

Sidon held a skeptical expression on his face. "Our Zora clan is not large, but it is big enough to where I do not get much quality time to spend getting to know anyone on a deep personal level."

Zelda quirked a brow in interest, pressing him to continue.

He sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate my people, but my title as Prince and the influence of my position does not go unnoticed by me…it is not uncommon for others to try and get ahead by attempting to court or befriend me. My father isn't aware, but that is why I usually leave to 'patrol' as often as I do. Sometimes the weight of everyone's expectations and false affection can be a bit…much." Sidon shifted his weight and rubbed the back of his neck as he gazed out over the Domain beneath them.

Zelda frowned at his crestfallen expression and instinctively reached out to grab his free hand to give it a small squeeze in reassurance.

His intense amber eyes snapped up to her face at the contact, and Zelda flushed as she quickly withdrew her hand and tried to explain, "I-I'm sorry! Link will often do things like that to show his support since he does not talk often…it's a habit I appear to have taken on as well."

She awkwardly rubbed her arm. "I just…I understand how you feel. Being royalty comes with its own set of challenges and expectations others do not understand, yet desire for themselves regardless. I didn't mean to step out of line..."

Sidon stared down at her. This girl was so strange to him. Yesterday Zelda had been intimidated to even sit beside him, and now she blindly reached out to comfort him on instinct.

The realization of this made his chest feel unusually warm.

How long has it been since someone genuinely understood where he was coming from and looked at him with so much sincerity?

Sidon slowly reached over to envelope her hand in his own and gave it a small squeeze, earning him the brilliant sight of witnessing of her ocean eyes widen as she looked up at him in surprise. Zelda's lips parted softly and her hair was damp and sticking to her face and neck while her skin glistened with a few remaining water droplets from their dip in the lake.

Sidon had never seen a more beautiful sight.

Admittedly, he was not required to spend longer than yesterday escorting her around, but he had been excited to wake up and seek her out. He was happy she agreed to let him take her swimming, and he hoped she would be willing to spend more time with him before Link returned and they ultimately departed.

Were these the feelings of gratitude and adoration Mipha felt all those years ago when she was the one at Zelda's side?

Or was this something else entirely?

"Thank you, Zelda. I do not mean to complain as I love my people, I have just grown weary of many and prefer to keep to myself more these days."

Zelda nodded, and Sidon had no doubt she understood exactly what he meant.

He released her hand and broke the somber air by grinning widely and bouncing back into his more peppy front.

Sidon glanced over at the still preoccupied King. "Now, let's go get you dried up, my father should be finishing up soon and will be expecting us to join him for dinner."

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King Dorephan watched the royal heir's intimate encounter from the corner of his eye.

It warmed his heart to see his son so enraptured by the girl of legend, as he had never seen Sidon act so demurely while in someone else's presence. Zelda certainly was a suitable catch, should she accept to be bound into an arranged marriage. Her warm attitude towards Sidon and his attention was a good sign too, if this was a union to be pursued in the future.

His son could definitely be stuck with much worse.

A sad smile cracked across his lips as the King realized both of his children had fallen for Hylians.

While not his favorite development, as he would've loved to have full Zora heirs, the old King knew he couldn't dictate who his children fell in love with. And Sidon was his only child left alive, so Dorephan wanted to support him however he could.

It had been a bitter pill to swallow knowing his lovely daughter Mipha had been killed in the line of duty protecting Zelda, but one hundred years was a long time to meditate and come to terms with her sacrifice. As much as he had felt resentment for Zelda for not protecting his child, he knew Zelda herself had been a child at the time as well. She was in no position to have known just how powerful Calamity Ganon would've been, and she had managed to hold him back from causing further destruction for the past hundred years.

He had to commend her on that, and Dorephan knew that Mipha would hate him if she knew he acted coldly towards her dear friend - so he welcomed Zelda with open arms and tasked Sidon with entertaining her.

Admittedly, it was painful to see Zelda and not be reminded of his daughter's demise, but he knew Mipha swore her life to the Hylian Princess, knowing full well the potential consequences of the danger they faced. He respected Mipha's decision to become Zelda's Champion, and he faced every new day with the memory of her life guiding him into being a better King to his people and father to her brother.

Dorephan waved the elder he was chatting with off after he noticed his son had escorted their guest back down the steps, presumably towards the inn so she could clean up before dinner.

A clawed hand rubbed his chin as the King leaned back in his throne with a deep sigh.

He thought of what it'd be like to have half-Zora, half-Hylian children running amok around the Domain.

...Would they even be able to bear children?

Dorephan pondered these thoughts and more until his head hurt, and thanked the Goddess above when the dinner bell finally rang.

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 **A/N: It was interesting writing from the King's POV, even if only for a little bit. Not sure if it really adds much to the story, but I thought it was fun to check back in on him and see his feelings towards their budding relationship haha!** **Don't ask me how they would have children either, I'm just as confused as Dorephan is lol! I took inspiration on the children bit my friend SomeRandonPenName's story, "The Course of Water"! It's a wonderfully deep Sidon/Zelda tale, and I highly recommend it ^^**


	7. The Mountain Path

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Zelda awoke the next day and quickly dressed in her blue tunic and leggings. She barely had her boots pulled on when someone knocked on her door.

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Prince Sidon, and Zelda raised an eyebrow to his sudden presence.

"Good morning, Zelda! What is on the agenda for today?"

The Hylian Princess stood from where she had been seated on her bed and self-consciously ran a hand through her hair, giving him a confused expression. "Are you…planning on accompanying me today as well?"

A tinge of rejection flashed across the Zora's face, and Zelda scrambled to put him at ease, "Not that I don't want you to, I would be delighted to share in your company again today."

He seemed to relax at this, so Zelda continued, "Though, I figured you would be leaving for another patrol again. This is the third day you have forfeited your duties to entertain me. I do hope I am not a bother."

Sidon shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Things have been rather quiet lately, and it'd be rude of me to patrol and leave you behind to have to piddle around the Domain." He flashed her a grin, "I do not want you to grow lonely. Or worse, force you to sit all day listening to my father's stories over tea."

Zelda wagged her finger in a playful, scolding manner. "Do not speak ill of your father, he is wonderful company! No need to be so harsh on the man."

Sidon rolled his eyes. "It is kind of you to defend my silly father. Though I can't help but get the impression that you want me to leave, seeing as you keep mentioning for me to get back to work."

Uncertainty clouded Zelda's eyes at this and she frowned. "I do not want you to leave. I just…" She trailed off, trying to figure out how to word her self-consciousness, "You may have experienced the same thing, but it's not uncommon for someone to drop everything and completely go out of their way to attend to me. Even though I have been gone for years, people still will stop and see to me first before themselves. I wish to be treated like anyone else, so I don't want to be a burden to anyone because they think they have to attend to me at all times."

Sidon studied her unsure expression before confidently speaking, "Believe me when I say that you are not a burden to me at all, and that I'd rather be spending this time with you."

Zelda looked up at him through her dark lashes, and Sidon felt warmth flood his being at the sight of her shy smile.

"Alright, if you say so."

"I do say so! Anyways, I believe my father mentioned Link ought to be returning tomorrow. So one more day with you couldn't hurt anything."

Zelda scoffed at his flippant jab and admitted defeat as she accompanied Sidon out into the square.

Many Zora passing by turned to smile and wave at their Prince and the Hylian Princess before going back to their duties, while others were too preoccupied with their own chores to notice the pair. The stone statue of Mipha kept watch over the bustling square, and Zelda stared up at the beautiful tribute for the hundredth time since she had arrived at the Domain.

It was weird that in her memory of the Domain, this fountain and statue did not exist. But it was here now, and while it always panged Zelda as a grim reminder of her dear friend, it brought an extra weight of beauty and history to the previously plain square.

This thought struck Zelda and she turned to Sidon, "I think for my last day I want to go up into the mountains and forage around a bit."

Despite his earlier lighthearted joke on the subject, Sidon's heart lurched at the realization that his time with Zelda would be coming to an end soon.

This would be her last day here at the Domain.

For some reason, he felt disappointed to know his time with her was coming to an end.

Mipha had been able to spend more than three days by Zelda's side.

The prince peered down at his companion, who gazed with faraway eyes at the statue of his sister. His heart warmed at the sight – it was obvious how much Zelda cared about Mipha. It reminded him of Link's own soft gaze that Sidon would occasionally catch directed at the statue of his sister.

Sidon remembered the image of Link's hand gently placed on Mipha's arm in the old photo. A pang of jealousy shot through his system - jealous that his sister still held their love and devotion so many years after her death, and jealous that they got to remember Mipha for who she truly was.

Sidon hated admitting that he could hardly remember his sister from his own accounts. He was more familiar with the image of her everyone else painted, as he himself only had fleeting memories from a blurry childhood. Even so, he cherished his sister and her memory dearly, and was glad Mipha really had been special to both of his Hylian friends.

Sidon appreciated their loyalty to her.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Zelda. I know a great place to take you, though I don't believe anyone has patrolled that far out in quite a few weeks. It would be best to head out now, so we can have plenty of time before the sun sets. We shouldn't run into any trouble, but I'll fetch my bow just in case."

Zelda nodded as Sidon jogged off, and she returned to her room at the inn to quickly fetch a small pack before they departed.

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Zelda looked around as Sidon led her up the mountain path. They were currently making their way up towards a clearing that the Zora Prince said held many berries and mushrooms to forage. The Princess had expressed wanting to explore around the mountain some, and to collect items to craft a dish in offering for Mipha.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as stopped to look down and sidestep a rough patch of rocks. Sidon turned as he noticed she was not by his side, and patiently waited for her to catch up to him. Zelda smiled graciously and watched the Zora Prince out of the corner of her eye as they walked.

Sidon was unlike most princes she had met in her lifetime.

While the princes she had been forced into socializing with in her past had been pompous and unabashedly egotistical, Sidon was grounded and thoughtful, and Zelda could tell he cared a great deal about other people and how they perceived him. Despite his intimidating exterior, she had learned he was a gentle soul who only wanted to do what was right by others. Even though he could be a goof a times, Zelda found him quite charming.

A slight blush rose to her cheeks, and she had to look away for fear of him noticing her staring. Zelda licked her lips, suddenly feeling parched.

After a few minutes of quietly trekking up the path, Sidon tensed beside her and he held a serious expression. Zelda quirked an eyebrow as she peered up at him.

"What is wrong, Sidon?"

"We're encroaching upon known monster territory. We have driven them far enough away from the Domain, but sometimes I catch a few wandering around this area. Like I said earlier, it has been a few weeks since anyone last ran patrols around here." He spoke in a quiet tone, and his amber eyes scanned the trees that lined the edge of the cliff off to the side from them. The silver adornments and armor that decorated his person glittered in the sunlight.

"I'm just trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. They've grown to become quite crafty with their ambushes. But don't worry, I'll protect you."

Zelda nodded. Months of traveling with Link have proven to her that it is better to remain silent when a companion is trying to keep an eye out for danger, as talking or making excessive noise could cause a distraction and allow any potential enemies to gain the upper hand.

Her hands moved up to grip the straps of her pack as her shoulders tensed. Normally she would argue that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but decided not to push it, as she was technically a guest and Sidon was acting as her escort.

They continued on, and minutes passed without incident. As they walked, the side of the mountain to their right formed to jut out above them. It cast a shadow over half of the path, and they moved to remain in the sunlight from above.

Right as Zelda was about to make a comment on the strange natural formation, Sidon froze and snapped his head up, bringing with it Zelda's attention. Her gaze landed on a blue pig creature, and she gasped as it screeched upon seeing them.

Suddenly a much taller, lankier silver pig appeared, and before she could react it quickly moved to push a large boulder off the cliff, meant to crush them in an instant.

A scream got caught in her throat, and then a sudden weight surrounded her, followed by dizzying movement.

Blinking slowly, Zelda looked up to realize Sidon had grabbed her and flung them under the overpass of the cliff, and they were now hidden in the shadows.

A large, muscular arm was wrapped around her, holding her flush against his body, and the other was pressed against the rock wall to steady himself from the sudden force of lunging out of the way. Sidon was a tall Zora, but being so close to him made Zelda painfully aware of their size difference, as the top of her head barely reached his chest.

Her face was buried in his abdomen, and the scent of rain and salt blurred her senses.

Link had held her close like this on many occasions, but for some reason she felt her heart raced so quickly that Zelda could barely breath.

The excitement and hesitancy she felt in this moment was not unlike the same sensation she felt when held by Revali all those years ago, and a pang of longing for her departed Champion shot through her.

The cries of the monsters above reminded her that they needed to assess the situation, and prepare to fight if need be.

Zelda stood still in the Zora Prince's embrace and relished in his sudden closeness before looking up. Sidon's head was held high and alert as he watched the path behind them for more incoming danger.

Ocean blue eyes assessed his strong profile for a moment, and her mind dared to wonder if he felt affected by her proximity as well.

If he was, he did not show it.

The boulder that had been unceremoniously dropped had rolled down the cliff, and Zelda was about to pull away when another boulder suddenly smashed into the ground, causing her to jump and squeak in surprise. Sidon's hold on her instinctively tightened and he pressed her closer to his body.

All that could be heard was the warbled noises from the monsters above. Both royal heirs breathed heavily and remained silent. Zelda moved a hand to rest on the bicep of the arm that was around her, causing Sidon to stiffen and peer down at her.

"Are you alright, Princess?"

Ignoring his sudden switch to formality, she nodded and swallowed in an attempt to regain her composure.

The Zora Prince's offered her a reassuring smile. "Good thing I brought my bow, eh?"

He released her and stepped back, taking his body heat with him. The Zora moved to unhook his bow from the holster draped across his shoulders, and Zelda marveled at the beauty of the weapon in his hands.

It was much larger than any bow she had ever seen, but then again, it was made for a Zora to wield. The bow was silver and encrusted with jewels, and the image of Mipha's trident flashed before her eyes, as both weapons bore a striking resemblance in aesthetics and design. No doubt Dento crafted both of the Zora heir's signature weapons.

Zelda pulled her pack off her shoulders and rummaged through it, locating her trusty old dagger. She wasn't sure if she'd need it, but better to be armed in case something unexpected happened.

"Stand back, they're coming." He murmured as he fingered the steel arrow that he strung against the cord of his bow.

Though she was unsure of why she had to step back, Zelda followed orders and moved to where she was a safe distance from Sidon, though still held visual of the path ahead.

Sure enough, the monsters filed down the dirt path with their weapons flailing above their heads. They screeched as they ran towards Sidon, and Zelda watched in astonishment as blue energy began to gather in the arrow at his fingertips as he stood steadfast.

Zelda was about to bark out for him to do something, as the monsters were becoming too close to combat with archery, when suddenly a whooshing noise rang out, followed by a gust of air that blew back at her with a terrifying force. Zelda brought her arms up to shield her eyes as her hair whipped around behind her.

As quickly as it appeared, the wind was gone, and she peered over her arms to spot the army of bokoblins and moblins crumple to the floor in unison and disintegrate into puffs of dark smoke.

Zelda stood still, and met Sidon's gaze when he turned to look at her. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Blinking in astonishment, she looked back to where the mob of monsters had been, and then back to the Zora Prince. "Pretty cool is a bit of an understatement, I'm afraid."

This earned a hearty laugh from Sidon, who clicked his bow in place on his back. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves. I can do more than just swim, you know."

He motioned for her to join his side again, and after he looked her over to make sure she was unharmed, they continued their trek up the mountainside now that the coast was clear.

"Where did you learn that from?" Zelda asked as she tucked her dagger away back into her pack.

"Believe it or not, I learned it from my father."

This earned a skeptical look from the Princess, and Sidon continued, "Obviously my father is not the warrior he once was, but from what I've heard, I am apparently the spitting image of him when he was my age. I hope to keep my current physique when I get to be his age, though." He grinned, and Zelda tutted him for bashing on the King again.

"It seems you have inherited a power much like Mipha's, is that correct?"

Sidon nodded, "Yes, within our bloodline is a power from the ancient Zora. I can only focus mine in short bursts, so I've found it effective when combined with my bow and arrows. Mipha's power was substantially greater than mine, and she was able to use it for extended periods of time and managed to teach herself how to use it to heal wounds."

He noticed Zelda held that faraway look in her eyes again as she thought about his sister.

Sidon muttered under his breath, suddenly feeling foolish as he realized Zelda had experienced Mipha's power firsthand all those years ago. "But I suppose you knew that already."

Why did being around this girl make his confidence wane?

Sidon noticed he was finding it harder to focus while around Zelda, and anytime his sister was brought up, he couldn't help but feel a flare of jealousy.

Mipha was better than him in every way. She was a war hero, and all he had to show for himself was an ugly scar for defeating an Octorock of all things. He inwardly groaned at how juvenile his thoughts were.

Zelda softly spoke up, "Yes, Mipha was a talented healer…her power was always so warm and inviting."

Sidon's lips twitched into a slight frown as he looked away.

"But, you are warm and inviting in your own way, Sidon. Your ability to focus your power to combine it with your archery is genius. Do not lose sight of your own power and being. You are not your sister, but I like that about you."

Heat rose to the Prince's cheeks at her soft encouragement, and he unconsciously scratched the side of his face in embarrassment.

When he chanced a glance at her, he noticed a light blush set on the apples of her cheeks.

Once again, she effortlessly pinpointed and lay rest to his insecurities. His heart fluttered, and he caught himself in awe of her calm wisdom yet again. Zelda was the Goddess incarnate, and held hidden powers he could only fathom, so he shouldn't be surprised that she could be so perceptive to his misgivings.

Sidon cleared his through as he pointed ahead, "Well, we're almost there. It's just right up this hill."

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 **A/N: When I wrote this story, I didn't really pay attention on who I was focusing on in the narrative, so while rereading/editing it, I notice I tend to flip-flop between them before eventually reverting back to Sidon's POV haha! He's just quite a lot of fun to write, and his characterization comes more naturally to me than Zelda's does. I don't think I've really grasped Zelda's character enough to make her feelings or thoughts super believable, but eh, I'm trying!**

 **I totally made up all that about Sidon's power and combining it with his arrows for fun, but I thought it was certainly plausible! He is said to be quite skilled with a bow, and since the poor guy can't use shock arrows, I could imagine him using some creativity to make up for it ;) Feel free to let me know your thoughts! xx Cafalla**


	8. Solace

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"Ah, finally!"

Sidon peered up from where he was searching under a tree to see Zelda triumphantly holding a gargantuan truffle above her head. He stood and moved towards her, chuckling as she pushed the fungus up and down into the air in a small celebratory dance.

"I'm glad we were able to find one, they are quite rare this high up the mountain."

Zelda cradled the truffle in her hands and grinned. "I know! I had wanted one for the mushroom dish, but knew our chances of actually finding one were slim. It seems the goddess is shining down on us today."

They returned to Zelda's pack that had been set off to the side during their search. An assortment of mushrooms spilled out of the bag, and Sidon crouched to scoop them back into the pack before handing it to Zelda. The girl at his side thanked him and shifted the bag on her back. A delicate hand lifted to shield her eyes as she looked up at the sky. The sun was right overhead, though it was just starting to dip towards the west. "It looks like it won't get dark for a couple more hours. We should have enough time to cook and get back to the Domain."

They had spent a couple hours foraging for mushrooms, as Zelda had expressed wanting to cook a mushroom dish to offer to Mipha's statue in the square. To the Princess, this was her way of paying tribute to her fallen Champion and friend, since she could not make the journey with Link up to Vah Ruta.

As the Zora Prince watched Zelda climb and scramble around all morning in the clearing he had led her, he was starting to believe her not accompanying Link was a matter of choice, not ability.

The girl had scaled several feet up the vertical mountainside to nab a rushroom for Goddess's sake. She displayed great stamina and endurance for such a small thing, and Sidon had no doubt she could easily handle the trip.

The question was why did she not make the journey with him? Sidon could tell how much Mipha meant to her, so wouldn't Zelda want to make the effort to go visit her final resting place?

As the Princess set to work prepping some wood for the fire, Sidon left her side to drag a few logs over for makeshift seats. He sat and quietly watched Zelda's skilled hands work at fire striking, and whistled in appreciation when she successfully started a small ember on her fourth try.

She grinned sheepishly up at him. "I'm surprised I actually managed to get it started so quickly! Link is normally the one who does all this while we are traveling. This is my first time actually attempting it on my own."

Zelda sat back on the log opposite Sidon and undid her pack. Her small hands handled the monstrously large mushrooms with care, and she gently laid them out side by side next to the fire in the order she planned on cooking them. She placed a couple small jars beside the mushrooms that contained spices and herbs to flavor them with.

After all the ingredients were accounted for, Zelda reached for some crude sticks she had collected off to her side and held them over the fire towards Sidon. "Do you think you could sharpen these for me? I want to skewer the mushrooms to get a nice char, and then I'll assemble them with some salad and fish later when we get back to the Domain."

Sidon reached for the sticks, and his fingers twitched when her own brushed against his palms during the exchange.

"Do you not wish to cook the mushrooms back at the Domain? We have many stone stoves and accommodations," he asked as he began gradually filing at the sticks with his sharp nails.

"I know no tastier mushrooms than the ones Link prepares, and he always skewers them over a campfire."

Sidon let out a small grunt of acceptance at her simple reply. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, surrounded by the soft scraping sounds of Sidon's nails and Zelda's knife.

"You are quite skilled at that…cutting mushrooms, that is." Sidon complimented awkwardly, and Zelda stopped cutting to look up at him. She glanced to her side where evenly cut squares of Hylian mushrooms sat neatly arranged on a white kerchief she had brought along.

Zelda shrugged. "I guess so. I like to watch Link when he prepares food, as he's quite the culinary artist. He is the one who is skilled with cooking…and just about everything else involving outdoors survival."

Her attention went back to the task at hand, but the Princess kept talking and opening up to her Zora companion. "I try to observe and pick up on as much as I can when we travel together. As much as I love Link and appreciate all that he does for me, he will not be around to protect me forever. Someday I might be in a situation where I must fend for myself, and perhaps making a campfire and cutting mushrooms will be my saving grace from suffering. Better to have a few tricks up my sleeve than to know nothing, right?"

Sidon completely stopped sharpening the stick he was working on to stare at the Princess across from him, who was now focused on cutting her gatherings. His mind only latched onto a few select words, and a strange pit of emptiness settled in his stomach.

" _As much as I love Link…_ "

Why did these words bother him?

It should have been obvious to Sidon that the Goddess incarnate would be in love with her chosen knight. Their bond was unlike any other – it transcended time, space, and logic. They would always be together. They were the only survivors from their group that faced the Calamity after all.

Sidon struggled to swallow down the overwhelming feelings of hopelessness that welled inside him.

Then he was reminded of her Rito Champion in the photo - was _he_ the one she truly loved?

Maybe once upon a time.

He had perished when the Calamity struck, so it would make sense that she would try to move on, and Link would be the logical man to turn to.

Why did the thought of her in another's tender embrace cause his heart so much turmoil?

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The heavy stare of the Zora Prince across the fire from her did not go unnoticed, and Zelda spared a curious glance up at him. Their eyes met and Sidon looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring. She smiled softly and turned back down to continue cutting at the mushroom in her hands.

Amber eyes soon fell back to the Hylian girl, and Sidon felt his heart would burst if he did not clarify his suspicions.

"So you…love Link?" The Zora's quiet murmur almost went unnoticed by Zelda, but she caught his words and looked up at him with furrowed brows. Sidon continued, "Does he know?"

Zelda stared at him, wondering why he chose that part of her spiel to focus on. "I love Link, yes. And I think he knows this…I sure would hope so by this point!"

Sidon's cheeks grew a dark scarlet shade that rivaled his scale colorings at the thought of the two Hylians embracing.

Of course they would have been intimate by now!

The image of Link pinning the Princess down and kissing her senseless, among other things, almost made Sidon's head explode.

"You are already mates then?" He asked in an incredulous voice as he busied his hands with sharpening the stick once more. His attention remained trained on her as he studied her face.

Zelda had only been back from the confines of the castle for a couple months…wouldn't she have to go through a courting period?

At least, from what Sidon knew of the politics surrounding their Kingdom's ring of royalty, courting periods spanned at least a year, if not longer. Sidon himself had not yet been assigned his life mate. He suspected with the recent fall of Calamity Ganon, however, that his father had already begun preparation to find him one, and wished to start his son's courting process in the near future.

It was time to get back to normalcy, and pick up where they left off once the Calamity struck.

It was Zelda's turn to blush a brilliant shade of red. Her eyebrows flew up and her mouth formed into a little 'o' in understanding Sidon's true meaning. "N-No! We are not mates. When I say I love Link, I mean it more in a platonic way. We are friends and comrades, and we will always have each other's back."

She held a hand over her heart, as if trying to calm herself.

"I admire him greatly, and I think our bond as the Goddess' chosen ones ensures we naturally hold very strong feelings of kinship towards each other…" Zelda trailed off as she lifted her chin up to gaze at something behind Sidon. He twisted around so that he could see what she was staring at, and he realized they had a perfect view of Vah Ruta standing tall on the mountain way off in the distance.

Sidon frowned, thinking that regardless of her and Link's relationship status, she should've been there with her escort, not all the way over here milling around with him.

"Link and I share a type of love, yes, but it's not like the love he shared with her."

Sidon whipped back to Zelda, who raised an eyebrow at his bewildered expression.

"Her? You mean Mipha?"

"Well, yes. She offered him her Zora armor as a courting gift, and he accepted. I thought this was common knowledge." Her head tilted to the side as she assessed Sidon's rigid posture. Zelda knew he was too young back then to really remember most details his sister, much less her complicated relationships with others, but she thought this much was clear to him.

The Zora Prince flushed and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he looked away from her innocent expression. "Well yes, but I thought that was more of a token of friendship…because you and Link are supposed to be…together…"

Both royal heirs stared at each other as an awkward air fell around them.

Zelda opened her mouth to speak a few times, but pursed her lips back together as she thought on Sidon's implications.

Sidon thought Zelda was supposed to court with _Link_?

Given the history of their relationship, it did not make much sense to her, but from an outside view she could see how their inside quirks could give the impression that they were lovers. This brought to mind earlier when she had intimately grabbed Sidon's hand – while this was something normal for her and Link to do to show support, it must have seemed strange for Sidon to all of a sudden share that close contact with her.

"Maybe Link and I act in a way that could be misconstrued as intimate exchanges between lovers," Zelda felt her face grow hot at the implication of this, but pushed past it, "And given the fact our fates are intertwined by the Goddess, I see where you get that idea. But, believe me when I say that he has always held a true romantic love for Mipha."

Sidon sat still and looked at the dancing flames of the fire as he tried to process this information. He had heard tales of Mipha's love for Link, and he knew of her Zora armor offering, but never had he actually considered that Link reciprocated those feelings.

Sidon felt guilty for thinking this, but based off of Link's loner nature and drive to rescue Zelda, he never entertained the thought that Link had the capacity to fall in love with someone, much less someone who wasn't Princess Zelda.

He turned around to look back up to Vah Ruta, and a small smile came to his lips as he realized why Zelda chose to stay behind in the Domain.

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"You wanted him to have the peace of visiting her alone now that the Calamity has passed."

Zelda's expression turned melancholy as she looked at Sidon, who turned back to fix her with his sharp amber eyes. She nodded solemnly, "Yes. He hadn't been back to see her since he put Vah Ruta to rest and freed her spirit…he told me she appeared before him and offered him the gift of her grace."

Her voice was gentle, and she tore away from Sidon's gaze to busy herself with the mushroom in hand, "I do not know if Mipha would be able to appear before him again, but regardless, I could tell he so badly wanted to visit her. Link was adamant about me going with him, but I refused. He needs his time to visit with Mipha, and whether she can appear and speak to him or not, I felt it wrong for me to intrude. He needs to allow himself the chance to grieve, or celebrate, or indulge freely in whatever it is he needs to feel with Mipha now that the threat of Ganon is gone."

Zelda finished cutting the mushroom in her hands, and added the chunks to those on the kerchief by her side. Sidon watched her fluid movements as she bent forward to collect the dark rushroom at her feet.

He breathed deeply then chuckled an airy breath in amusement, "You never cease to amaze me with your wisdom and generosity, Zelda."

The Hylian Princess sat up and cradled the rushroom in her lap. "I am the protector of Hyrule after all. It helps to be the slightest bit in tune to those around me." She shrugged nonchalantly, but shot him a knowing smile.

Sidon shook his head and smirked at this, and both turned back to their tasks in preparation for their mushroom grill.

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The sun had started to fall farther in the sky, and when Sidon had finished sharpening the sticks, Zelda took them and gingerly pierced the mushrooms she had cut up. She then sprinkled some spices over top the skewers, and handed a few to Sidon before instructing him on how to hold them into the fire and turn them over so that they got a nice, even char.

"May I ask you something?"

Zelda looked up from the crackling fire and tilted her head to the side in wonder, "Sure, Sidon."

Sidon licked his lips in anticipation and busied himself with rotating his skewer, "What was your relationship like with your Rito Champion?" Zelda blinked in surprise at his blunt question, and he quickly added, "You had mentioned he was special to you in a way the others weren't. In what way was that? I was just curious."

Her grip on her skewer tightened, and she paused for a moment before carefully starting, "Well, I was together with my Champions long before Link was chosen as my knight."

Sidon raised his brow in interest, as he had figured Link had always been by Zelda's side for as long, if not longer, than her Champions were.

"Urbosa and Mipha were like my sisters, and Daruk, for lack of a better word, was the reliable rock to our group. Revali, however, did not fit in as easily, and he would oftentimes let his ego get in the way of his duty. He was the one I never really could connect with."

Her brows furrowed as she stared back into the fire. "It was always a chore trying to get through to Revali, and admittedly, I worried about his ability to work with our group as a cohesive unit. It got worse when Link came along."

Sidon held his breath and remained still at the mention of their friend's name, afraid of disrupting her story. A small smile tugged at her lips as she twirled her skewer in the fire.

"He was not accepting of Link, because Link had little ability when he was first chosen as my knight. Revali did not believe Link had it in him to protect me, and often would try to ambush me to catch Link off guard. Thinking back on it, I realize now that he was just worried about my well-being, and that was his way of training Link. Revali constantly picked at Link and his ability, and they would often drive each other into the dirt trying to one-up each other in frivolous competitions of strength. It was almost silly at times how similar they could be, though neither of them would ever admit it."

Zelda grew quiet as she reflected on her past, and Sidon stared into the fire as he thought on her words. Despite Link being his closest friend up until now, he did not know the true nature of Link's past relationships, as evidence by the fact he was surprised that Mipha and Link had essentially been in the stages of courting. He absentmindedly wondered what his father thought of that. Sidon made a mental note to ask about it later.

He was intrigued by this Revali character, and wondered what it would've been like to meet him. Sidon had heard Revali was an expert archer, and the wistful thought of challenging the Rito Champion to an archery competition to win Zelda's hand in courtship briefly flashed across his mind.

The Zora Prince felt his face grow hot at this ridiculous daydream, and buried his face in his free hand in embarrassment.

"Link told me that when he went to Vah Medoh, he and Revali made up for their past, which I am grateful for."

Sidon was brought back to Zelda's tale, and withdrew his finished skewer before setting it off to the side and reaching for another. Zelda didn't seem to notice his drifting train of thought, and mirrored his movements of switching skewers. She looked up to offer him an appreciative smile for her rambling.

"Anyways, in trying to mediate between their quarreling back then, Revali began to open up to me in a way he never did before. Maybe it was because he came to terms with his place in the group, or because Link was finally making him reevaluate his motivations...but either way, Revali had began to let his walls down around me. I was so happy to finally be able to understand him on a deeper level, as he always let his bravado hide his true feelings and concerns."

Zelda reached up to tuck some blonde locks behind her ear, and Sidon watched her intently as he awaited her confession on her and Revali's true relationship.

"Revali still kept his distance from the rest of the Champions and continued to pick fights with Link, but something shifted in how he addressed me. I can only imagine it was from him finally allowing himself to share his struggles with someone else, and in return I opened up and allowed him more insight into my point of view. I learned a lot from him, and grew to care for him on a different level than everyone else, but…"

Sidon's grip on his skewer tightened in anticipation as she trailed off, but the deep sadness that reflected in her eyes made him curse his selfish desire for knowledge. Despite the foreign pain that began to pulse through his body in waiting for her to admit her past love out loud, Sidon was resigned to the fact that he would do anything for this girl. He didn't know how she snuck up on him, but his heart raced in her presence, and his soul ached with her pain. He desperately wanted to lunge across the fire and embrace her.

Sidon sat still and patiently waited for her to continue when she felt ready.

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Zelda bit her tongue as she tried to hold back the overwhelming grief that rushed through her body from speaking aloud her past with Revali. Her heart ached for her dear Rito Champion, and she was afraid to voice out loud her secret that she had been holding in all these years.

From Sidon's soft expression though, Zelda could already tell he knew where she was going with this. Her soul felt at ease from his kind patience. It was difficult, but she wanted to get it out in the open, even though she felt a bit awkward admitting her past love to Sidon.

The absent minded thought that her budding relationship with Sidon was becoming much like how her relationship with Revali had been. A pang of nervousness shot through her. The realization that she could easily see herself falling for Sidon caused Zelda to gulp, and she tried to ward off those intrusive thoughts.

"I feel great regret for never expressing to him how important he was to me. A-And he perished without me ever telling him how proud I was of him, and how honored I was to have him by my side. He never knew how much I...loved him. None of them did! Despite my fear, I blindly believed nothing bad would happen to us, and now everyone is gone!"

Her voice cracked, and Zelda choked as Sidon dropped his skewer and jumped across the fire to grab her. He knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her small body to pull her close to his chest.

Stunned, Zelda sat rigid as she tried to process her jumbled thoughts, as well as Sidon's sudden closeness. She was hyper aware of the feeling of his body heaving as much as hers was.

"I'm so sorry, Zelda," his gruff voice whispered into her hair.

He held her gently, and Zelda sniffled as she realized her face had become wet from tears.

She hadn't even noticed she had started crying.

Zelda allowed her hands to come up to rest on Sidon's back to return his hug, and she buried her face in his chest as she willed herself to calm down. The feeling of his large hand softly stroking her hair sent waves of calm through her, and Zelda deeply breathed in his now familiar scent.

Like with everything in her past, crying about it could not change anything or bring anyone back.

"I just have to keep moving forward is all," she muttered against Sidon, and the Zora Prince pulled back to meet her gaze. Sidon's hands now rested on her shoulders as his soft amber eyes bore into her, completely seeing into her tattered soul.

Zelda felt herself involuntarily shiver at his intensity.

"Zelda," he started, "Please, allow yourself to mourn. You are not weak for doing so, and you need to heed your own commands."

Her brows furrowed, and he smiled softly as he explained, "You sent Link away to mourn and make peace with his past, but you haven't done the same for yourself."

Understanding painted her face, and she looked down at her hands that were sitting limp in her lap. "You're right. It's just been so difficult with everything going on. I haven't really had time to do so, even if I wanted to."

The sensation of his hand tucking some of her hair behind her ear caused Zelda to snap her eyes back up to him, and he ran a finger across her cheek to wipe away a tear. His sharp nail grazed her skin, and she nervously swallowed at how rapidly her heart was beating from his close proximity and intimate gestures.

"I know, but just promise me you'll take care of yourself, okay? And I'll always be here for you. Even in the future when you're busy running all of Hyrule. If you need someone, remember you have a friend here at the Domain."

She nodded, and smiled appreciatively as she used her sleeve to wipe her face. "Thank you, Sidon. Really, for everything. You don't have to be so nice to me. I don't deserve it."

Still holding onto her, Sidon tilted his head as he frowned, "Nonsense. I want to support you. You deserve so much more than you allow yourself, Zelda."

Heat rose to her cheeks, and Zelda began to tentatively reach out to caress his face when the Zora Prince suddenly jumped up and exclaimed, "The mushrooms!"

Zelda blinked and sat back in bewilderment as Sidon spun around to face the fire behind him, where his mushroom skewer lay burnt among the logs.

"I ruined them!"

Zelda couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped at the release of tension from his outburst, and Sidon pouted back at her, "Why are you laughing?! This is serious!"

She clasped a hand to her mouth in a pitiful attempt to stifle her giggles as she watched Sidon dejectedly retrieve what he could of his skewer from the flames. He held the stick up, and the over-charred mushrooms comically crumbled to dust and fell off the burnt skewer, causing Sidon to sigh and hang his head in shame.

Zelda grabbed a new skewer and leaned forward to tap his shoulder, "Don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from."

A grin spread across his face as he took it from her, and he nodded before getting up and resuming his place back across the fire from her.

"Sidon?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Sidon looked up to meet her gaze, and Zelda practically melted at the warmth in his bright eyes as he smiled, "Anytime, Zelda."

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 **AN: Another long chapter, woo! I do hope the last part is not...too awkward. The ending part where they talk about Revali was added last minute before posting this chapter actually, as the allusion from that earlier chapter about her past with him was never really brought up again. I felt this chapter was the best place to bring it up as they were discussing Mipha and Link's past relationship, and I think I managed to make it lead into a good bonding moment where they both finally realized they may be falling for one another...I hope that came through! I should probably have added a Zelda/Revali tag to this story, but it's not the main focal point so I apologize if it is not to your liking!**

 **Also please be aware, I was SO tempted to name this chapter "Mushrooms Roasting On An Open Fire" LOL**

 **Please let me know your thoughts :) xx Cafalla**


	9. Vigil

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The scent of grilled fish and spiced mushrooms filled the twilight square as Zelda emerged from the royal kitchen with her offering dish.

A few Zora walking by stopped to watch the blonde girl as she stepped up to statue of their late Princess Mipha. At the scent of fresh food, the Zora who manned the nearby shops also poked their heads out in curiosity.

All heads turned when they noticed their next in line to the Zora throne, Prince Sidon, was not far behind the Hylian Princess, and in his arms rested a large bouquet of wildflowers tied delicately with a teal ribbon.

Sidon came to stand at her side.

Zelda looked down at the food in her hands, and a small smile tugged at her lips. "Believe it or not, this was one of Mipha's favorite dishes. Link used to make it for her all the time…I do hope she doesn't mind my take on it."

She placed the dish at the base of the statue. Steam radiated off the fresh food with a peppery aroma.

Oblivious to the many eyes watching and taking note of their closeness, Sidon's expression turned soft with adoration as his eyes followed the Hylian girl's movements.

She will be a great Queen to Hyrule.

"I'm sure she will love it."

Sidon followed her offering by carefully setting the flowers behind the dish.

They both looked up to the stone made in Mipha's likeness, and Zelda clasped her hands together and bowed her head in prayer. The Zora did not usually pray, as they honored the Goddess with other displays of worship, but he could make an exception for Zelda. Sidon put his hands behind his back, straightened his posture, and bowed his head.

He breathed deeply, focusing his thoughts not for the first time on the sister he barely knew. Sidon thanked Mipha for her bravery and sacrifice, and wished that he could meet her now and know her for who she was. He hoped she could understand his wish to know her now that he was an adult, and dreamed about the adventure they could have had ruling the Zora Domain together as sibling leaders.

Now he would have go at it alone.

His thoughts turned to his sister's relationship with Link. He wondered how Link was faring up on Vah Ruta – had Mipha been able to appear before him again?

Sidon hoped she had, for Link was his good friend and the Hylian man deserved to be reunited with his lover.

Knowing that Link lost his love, even if she was Sidon's sister, filled the Zora man with grief. Sidon felt Mipha's loss greatly, but could not imagine the pain that Link must've felt in being the man who loved her.

Link always appeared cool and collected on the surface, but Sidon now realized he probably suffered just as much from the initial battle as everyone else did, if not more. Everyone thought Link had it easy because he survived and was alive to fight again, but Sidon could not fathom losing all his friends and loved ones, then being forced into hibernation only to wake up a hundred years later with the destruction from the Calamity fresh in his mind.

At this thought, the Zora Prince opened his eyes to peer down at Zelda. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were pulled into a frown. She was clearly deep in her thoughts and prayers. He closed his eyes once more and felt his heart ache with empathy.

Zelda had gone through much of the same ordeal as Link, though while Link had been hibernating and oblivious to the world, Zelda had apparently been conscious and actively fighting every second of those one hundred years to keep Calamity Ganon contained.

She had lost her loved ones as well, and even though the Rito man may not have been privy to her past affection, she was very much in the same boat as Link was with Mipha. Grief was a difficult emotion to shoulder alone, and Sidon surmised this probably was why she had taken up this journey to visit the other kingdoms in Hyrule. It was an effort to make peace with its citizens, to make peace with Link, and to make peace with her past.

Either way, it spoke volumes that Zelda chose the Zora's Domain to visit first, and that she took it upon herself to stay behind while Link went to Mipha's resting place.

Sidon could tell his sister meant the world to Zelda, and that she would have liked to have gone to Vah Ruta, but loved Link and Mipha too much to not allow them a proper reunion as soon as possible.

Sacrificing her own desire to see Mipha in order to let Link peacefully reflect and grieve after his long journey proved to Sidon how selfless Princess Zelda truly was. It seemed she was always making sacrifices whenever she could, as if desperately trying to repay the debts to those who gave so much for her.

Quiet murmurs of apology floated to his ears, and Sidon pulled himself from his thoughts at Zelda's small voice. Her hands were shaking in front of her chest as she clasped them together roughly.

The Zora Prince could not bear the sight.

He reached over to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close to his side.

The startled gasp from the girl and the warmth of her form tucked next to him caused a jolt to shoot through Sidon's body and his scales to tingle. He hoped giving her this physical contact would offer comfort in the way she had mentioned her and Link often did for one another.

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"Sidon…thanks, but I'm alright," she breathed out as she brought her hands down to lay flat against her thighs.

It had been a while since Zelda had last prayed so deeply, and the feeling of her bottled up regrets had been a bit much for her to handle.

She felt embarrassed that she had cried so freely in public.

"Zelda," Sidon started gently, though the Princess tucked under his arm flinched, "I know it's hard, but you do not need to hold onto this guilt. What happened to Mipha and your Champions was not your fault."

A wave of guilt washed over her, because Zelda knew he was right.

This was the second time today that he had addressed her grief, and she was starting to wonder if it was obvious to everyone else that she was walking around with so much weight on her shoulders.

"My sister loved Link, but I know she loved you too. Everyone knew the risk of taking on Calamity Ganon, and I know Mipha was proud to be chosen as one of your Champions." He looked back to Mipha's statue, and Zelda's face twisted with despair as she reluctantly looked up as well.

The sight of Mipha's face made Zelda's heart clench.

"She would want you and Link to be happy and enjoy life. You have done her justice. Rest easy over that fact. They all have."

Sidon slowly turned Zelda around, causing the Princess to freeze at the sight of the many nearby Zora bowing their heads in prayer. Some of them were standing with their children in the doorways of their shops, and others were stopped in the middle of the square in the same place they halted to watch Zelda and Sidon place Mipha's offerings.

None of them had looked up to notice the two heirs, as all their eyes were closed as they sent their thoughts and wishes to their beloved Mipha.

Their solidarity brought tears to Zelda's eyes, and Sidon gently rested his hand on top of her head. She looked up to him at this, and his hand gently ran through her blonde locks and down the curve of her face. The sensation of his silky scaled fingers delicately whispering against her skin which caused a blush to rise to her cheeks. Zelda drank in his warm expression, and her eyes wavered as they darted around his face, searching for any sign of insincerity, but finding none.

Sidon had been so careful and attentive with her, and this thought made her feel a faint flutter in her chest. Link would often commiserate with her, and for the most part that helped, but it felt nice for someone who did not go through the same trauma to listen and reassure her of her feelings.

For this, she was grateful.

Zelda felt her heart speed up and she broke their intense eye contact to focus on the kerchief around his neck.

It was scary how quickly in tune he had become with her. Could he see how nervous she suddenly felt now?

"Thank you, Sidon. Your kindness and understanding mean the world to me."

She quickly spun around to resume facing Mipha's statue, and Sidon frowned before reaching over to pull her to his side again.

He half expected her to pull away from him, but was surprised to feel her rigid posture go calm as she relaxed in his hold.

"I'm glad to hear that," Sidon murmured softly as he looked up at his sister's statue, hoping she could somehow sense how peaceful he was in this moment.

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 **A/N: Short chapter, but I hope you still enjoyed it nonetheless! We're in the final stretch now, so there are only a few more chapters left! xx**


	10. Sunset

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"I take it you'll be setting off through Akkala next?"

Link lifted his blue eyes up to meet the kind gaze of the Zora Princess beside him and nodded solemnly. Mipha hummed thoughtfully as she fiddled with her hands in her lap and kicked her short legs back and forth against the ridge of Vah Ruta that they were perched on.

Even though she was a spirit, Link was still in awe at how alive she seemed.

His heart ached to reach out and touch her, but he held back as knew his hand would phase right through her spiritual energy. He had already done so numerous times in the past few days out of habit, and it pierced his soul with agony every time.

"I'm sad you'll be leaving, but I know how anxious you are to get back to Zelda."

Link looked back down toward the Domain and furrowed his brows. Was his worry that obvious?

He supposed it always would be to Mipha, who held a natural gift of being able to see beneath his stoic facade.

"She's been having quite the time with Sidon, though. I bet he'll be sad to see her go."

Link raised a skeptical eyebrow at this, and Mipha's laughter at his confused expression caused a light blush to rise to his cheeks.

"Really! They have actually been inseparable since your departure. I'm surprised that get along as well as they do, considering you're not there to mediate between them."

Link pursed his lips and held his chin in his hand as he considered this development. Sidon was a good man, but he could be a bit overwhelming with the contrast between his intimidating appearance and happy-go-lucky attitude. Zelda was generally a serious girl who often preferred to keep to herself and focus on her studies.

Link couldn't imagine them having much in common.

As if reading his thoughts, Mipha mused out loud, "As heirs, they face many of the same hardships and insecurities regarding their future. I can tell it's been cathartic for them to interact with someone of similar standing and background."

Link studied Mipha's glowing spiritual profile as he regarded her words. He could just make out the tinge of sadness in her eyes as she smiled to herself.

Mipha used to be that person to fill that spot in Zelda's life, but now Sidon held that torch.

Sidon had told Link he and the Zora had visited Vah Ruta before, but never had been able to see Mipha. Link had a feeling that only those who harbored power from the Goddess were able to see the departed Champions. He had put them to rest, but a part of their soul would always be tied to their beasts.

Mipha had described how she could leave and watch over the Domain and beyond, but no matter how far she traveled, she would always wind up back at Vah Ruta eventually.

Mipha's soft voice drew his attention back to her. Link tilted his head as he listened to her speak of her brother, "I've been watching him grow up, you know? He is a kind soul who works hard to please everyone, even at his own expense. Sidon was a good child, and he has grown into an admirable man. I want him to have a good life."

Link pushed his dirty blonde locks back away from his face, as he slouched forward to better look at Mipha's face. She stared down at the Domain, seemingly lost in thought.

"These few days with Zelda have been the happiest I've seen him in years. I can tell his presence is having a positive effect on her as well. I know Zelda has had a hard time, and while I don't see her getting over the Calamity anytime soon, I can see that she's starting to heal. Seeing them interact and help one another...it reminds me of how we used to be."

Mipha turned to Link with glistening amber eyes full of adoration.

Link's fingers moved on their own accord to touch her face, but they fell right through her translucent blue aura. In return, Mipha reached out to his face, though her hand disappeared as it touched his skin.

A cold, tingling sensation ached his cheek where she tried to caress him.

Mipha smiled sadly as she let out a small chuckle, "It's okay. Thank you, Link."

They both withdrew their hands. Link swallowed the lump in his throat that choked him every time he realized he couldn't physically touch or hold her like he used to before the Calamity.

"I'm glad we had this time to spend together, and I hope you'll come back to visit with Zelda next time."

Link nodded and cleared his dry throat, "We'll be back after we get everything up and running."

Mipha beamed at his promise. She closed her eyes and lifted her head up to bask in the setting sunlight.

Link watched quietly, unsure whether or not she could actually feel the warmth of the sun. Regardless, he felt at ease in her familiar presence, and was thankful Zelda pushed for him to visit with Mipha alone this time.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do?" Mipha quietly asked.

"No, just this is perfect."

She laughed at his blunt reply, and Link sheepishly smiled back.

He scooted closer to her side, and cupped his hand over the area where her hand was resting on the stone. The iciness of her aura seeped into his skin, but Link ignored it as he deeply breathed in the mountain air.

They sat in peaceful silence atop Vah Rutah and watched the sun of their last day together set over the horizon.

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 **A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates as of late! I had to go out of town for a family trip, then we had company stay with us for a few days. My computer is in the guest room they stayed in, so I didn't have a chance to use it D:**

 **This chapter was not one I had in my original draft of this story, but mrobbins3 had asked about Link a couple times and I thought "You know what? I should check in on Link!" I hope you enjoyed it ;)**

 **Admittedly Link was more of a plot device to get Zelda to the Domain, as I wanted to focus 99% of the story of Sidon/Zelda, but I can't do my boy dirty like that haha! So here's a little chapter dedicated to him and Mipha (though they do talk about Sidon and Zelda...but hey, this** ** _is_** **primarily a Sidon/Zelda fic). I could probably go farther with this chapter, but it just felt right to keep it short and sweet :)**

 **Feel free to let me know your thoughts ^^**

 **xx Cafalla**


	11. Midnight Visitor

Zelda leaned back in her bed with a content sigh. She was pleased that her dish came out nicely, and overjoyed that the Zora participated in the impromptu vigil for Mipha.

They all seemed to find solace in the action, and many came up to talk with her and share stories of their memories with Mipha, as well as lay their own little tokens of offerings down. Fruits, fish, flowers, money, gems, and toys now lay around the statue in the square, and Zelda couldn't wait for Link to arrive back tomorrow and see it all!

She could imagine the smile the gesture would bring to his face and it warmed her heart.

However, upon Link's arrival, she would have to bid farewell to the Domain, and that meant bidding farewell to Sidon.

Zelda found she did not mind Sidon's presence at all. In fact, she enjoyed his presence quite a lot, if not maybe a bit _too_ much.

She held her warm face in her hands as she blushed at the thought of her new friend. She briefly wondered if her attraction to him stemmed from the fact that he was Mipha's brother, and thus his presence brought her the comfort she once felt from always being with the Zora Princess.

No. Sidon was his own person, and she found herself drawn to him for different reasons than why she had been drawn to Mipha. Even though they shared the same blood and unique Zora coloring, he was much more outgoing and confident than his sister was, and that made Zelda feel empowered to keep up with him. He was a bright man who, despite his insecurities over his worth and place in his family, had the makings of a great leader. Zelda had no doubt that once Sidon took the throne, he would be a fair and dependable King who took his people seriously.

Her heart beat rapidly at the thought. She couldn't wait to see what he would do once he took his place on the throne. Despite only having met him a couple days ago, she felt proud that he was the one to grow into the role of the King during her lifetime, and thus serve on her court as the representative of the Zora.

But...what if he could be the one to rule not only the Zora Domain, but _all_ of Hyrule?

Zelda gasped at her rogue thoughts and slapped her hands over her face with embarrassment. She flopped back on her bed, and her head hit her pillow with an audible "poof".

She hadn't felt this kind of excitement and need to seek out companionship to this degree with anyone since Revali.

A pang of guilt hit her, but Zelda knew he was at rest and his spirit would live in Vah Medoh. She hoped she'd have the chance to seek solace and have him appear before her as he did for Link.

Light knocks from the door caught Zelda's attention and she froze. Her hands fell from her face and the Hylian girl waited a few moments as she was sure it was her imagination, but the knocks rang out again as someone rapped at her door with their knuckles. She quietly moved from her bed to stand at the door, and she put her ear to the wood, straining to hear who was behind it.

"Hey, open up. It's me."

Upon hearing the quiet voice of the man who had been plaguing her thoughts, Zelda hastily flung the door open.

Her breath caught in her throat when she was met with Sidon's lumbering form standing in the doorway. One hand was raised to knock on the door again, and his other arm was resting above her on the top of the door-frame, as if he had been leaning forward against it while he stood there.

The Zora man's bored expression quickly turned to surprise as he averted his gaze upon seeing Zelda standing before him barefoot in a thin, white nightgown.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He exclaimed a bit too loudly, and the Princess looked down to notice her state of undress.

Gasping in astonishment, she retreated to snatch a shawl from the desk chair and draped it over her shoulders and chest before returning to the door.

Zelda was admittedly a bit giddy inside to see the Zora man, but couldn't refrain from hissing at him. "Sidon! What are you doing here? Why are you up so late?"

Her bangs, which were normally braided and tucked behind her ears, fell freely to frame her face, further highlighting her soft skin and deep blue eyes. A light pink blush dusted her cheeks, and Sidon cleared his throat.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I'm glad you're up. I came here because I wanted to take you one last place before you leave tomorrow…" He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck as he concentrated on not letting his eyes stray over her body.

"Where would we go so late at night? All the shops are closed and everyone is asleep. Plus, many more monsters will be out now than there were this morning."

Sidon snorted and rolled his eyes at her obvious statement. "Yes that is true, but the place I want to go isn't in the Domain. And I know a shortcut, so we will not come across any monsters. Though if it makes you feel safer, I'll bring my bow just in case."

He winked, which caused her to be the one rolling her eyes now.

"But…it's way past midnight! Link will be here early tomorrow..." Zelda protested, though it was more in confusion than in opposition to his request.

The briefest glint of rejection flashed across his deep amber eyes, and Zelda felt guilt strike her chest.

Sidon sighed. "Just trust me, this is the perfect time to witness what I want to show you. Please, will you come with me?"

Sidon was not one to beg, but even he could hear the desperation in his voice.

He wanted, no, _needed_ Zelda to accompany him tonight. It would be his last chance to be with her before Link returned, and the Zora Prince hoped she felt the same connection he did, and would want to spend just one more night with him.

Zelda's hand that held her shawl over her shoulders clenched as she looked up at Sidon. His body was tense in anticipation, and his expression was hopeful.

And she _did_ want to go, so how could she deny him?

"Okay, but I'll have to get changed first."

Sidon grinned and his eyes crinkled in joy. "Meet me over by the east bridge."

Zelda stared at his back as he turned to leave, the memory of this similar command from a couple days earlier coming forth to her mind.

Her eyes were glued to his broad red shoulders, and she blinked when he turned around quickly to add, "And wear Link's Zora armor."

Before she could protest, the Prince had scurried around the corner and was out of sight.

All that could be heard of his presence was the pounding of his feet and the clinking of his armor as he stalked down the hallway.

.

.

.

Zelda wrapped her arms around her torso as she walked towards the familiar east bridge. The Princess was thankful for the luminous stone lamps that peppered the Domain, because she was certain she would easily topple over the railings and into the water below if not for their help. The stars were bright in the sky that night as well, and Zelda's eyes easily adjusted to the darkness as she trekked towards the meeting point.

As she approached the middle of the bridge, the large form of her Zora friend was finally visible.

In the pale moonlight, his striking blood red coloring was quite muted and dark toned, and she almost mistook him for a different Zora. His sheer stature and the glitter of his silver adornments, however, signaled to her that this was indeed the Prince she was meeting up with.

He sensed her presence and turned to her, and Zelda offered a small wave, admiring how his complexion glowed in the moonlight.

"Zelda." He spoke softly as she approached and grinned widely, displaying his sharp teeth.

The Zora Prince was leaning over the railing to look down at the dark water below, much like Zelda had done the last time they were on this bridge. "I'm glad you came. I want to show you someplace, but it would require you to hold onto me while I swim."

Zelda looked down at the eerily calm midnight water.

"And we'd have to scale a few waterfalls, so on our way back you will have to dive with me." He cracked a smirk, "I told you I'd get you to dive with me one of these days. That is, assuming you'll allow me to take you."

Without hesitation, Zelda exclaimed, "Okay, let's go."

Sidon straightened up and stared incredulously down at her. "Okay? Just like that? I thought for sure you would say no, or at least take longer to decide."

Zelda wrung her hands together and admitted, "Well, I am a bit weary of being dragged through deep water late at night, but I trust you."

Her heart raced as she spoke those words, and she could see Sidon's eyes widen a bit in surprise.

"Just keep in mind, it wouldn't bode well for my legacy to have survived Ganon only to perish in a drowning accident while in the care of the Zora Prince."

Sidon grumbled at this and Zelda smiled sweetly, "I know you would not ask this of me unless you really wanted to take me to see this place, wherever it is. And admittedly, I'm a bit curious to see it now. So yes, I'm okay with your terms." She fisted her hands on her hips and spoke in a haughty tone, "Besides, if you let me perish, my spirit will be bound to this Domain and you can bet I'll haunt you forever. I know how you Zora can outlive us Hylians at least three times over, so that would not be a very good deal on your end."

Sidon scoffed, but couldn't suppress his smile at her antics. "Ignoring that grim thought, yes, I think this place is something you would appreciate. I love it there, and I want to share it with you."

He pointed to a waterfall that fell from the cliff surrounding the backside of the Zora Domain. "That's where we'll start, then we will just simply follow the next few falls up to the top of this cliff."

His finger trailed upwards, and Zelda strained to see the separated falls he was referring to. She vaguely remembered the look of them during the day, but in this darkness she would just have to trust that Sidon knew what he was talking about.

"Is the falls the only way to reach it?" She asked.

"No, it is accessible from a hiking path, but no one uses it regularly as we can all climb waterfalls. Plus, trying to hike up there takes hours whereas using the falls can be done in a matter of minutes."

"I see. Sounds good to me. How is this going to work? I imagine you need your arms to swim so...am I going to be dragging behind on a raft of some sort?"

Sidon blankly stared down at Zelda's thoughtful expression for a moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter.

"What? Sidon, I'm serious!" Zelda felt her face grow bright red with embarrassment, though in the moonlight her skin only appeared to be a pale pink color. She playfully slapped his arm and he wiped at his eyes as his chuckles died down.

"You'll ride on my back. That'd be the easiest, and would consume the least amount of materials and time."

Zelda crossed her arms and sighed. Her blue eyes took in the joyful expression on the Zora man, and she felt herself grow embarrassed again, though this time it was at the thought of tightly holding onto him.

"Stop laughing! Are we going to get going, or should I head back to my nice, comfy bed?"

Sidon waved his hand in defeat and crouched before Zelda, baring his back to her. "So pushy! Alright, just hop on and wrap your arms around my neck."

Zelda's blush intensified at his blunt instructions, but she slowly stepped towards him.

Her cold hands tentatively landed on his smooth shoulders, causing Sidon to shudder. His back was suddenly overcome by the warm body of the Princess leaning against him, and he felt her arms hesitantly reach around his neck to lock together.

"Ready?"

He felt Zelda nod where her head was resting over his shoulder, and he slowly moved to stand. Her legs instinctually wrapped around his torso at the feeling of leaving the ground, and Sidon had to breathe deeply to contain the sparks in his stomach at the sensation.

He stood still for a moment, letting her adjust her grip as needed. "I'll swim gently, but the drop into the water will be a bit jarring. Same for when we climb the falls. Feel free to tuck behind my tail to avoid being continuously splashed in the face."

Zelda nodded again but did not reply as she tested herself in the spot beneath the shark-like tail on his head, and Sidon figured she couldn't speak over the nervousness of night swimming.

In actuality, Zelda did not speak because she was nervous over their close proximity.

"Okay, here we go! Hold on tight, Zelda."

Before she could react, Sidon vaulted over the railing and the gut-dropping sensation of falling struck Zelda full-force. Her long hair whipped around her face, and she had time to only gasp at the blurry sight of the Domain getting farther and farther away above them. Then her senses were overcome by chilly water engulfing their bodies.

Zelda clenched tightly onto Sidon, and choked as she gaped underwater. The feeling of Sidon's strong arms pushing up brought her some relief, and before she could get over the shock of hitting the water, they broke the surface. Zelda hiked herself higher on his back to gasp for air.

Sidon's arms moved to keep them afloat, and he turned his head, surprised to find their faces now cheek-to-cheek. "Good?"

Zelda breathed in deeply over his shoulder for a moment as her body temperature adjusted to the cold water. Sidon's wet scales felt slick beneath her touch, but the shock of the water caused her previous nerves from being so close to him to become long forgotten.

"G-Good!" She exclaimed breathlessly, causing Sidon to chuckle.

"I'm surprised you managed to hold on. You've got quite the grip for a Hylian."

Zelda tightened her hold on his neck at his jab, and Sidon coughed, "That was supposed to be a compliment!"

Sidon shifted his position so he was now horizontal and Zelda unwrapped her legs, allowing herself to freely float in the water while keeping anchored to Sidon's neck with her arms. The Zora Prince began to gently tread water, though Zelda could tell they were still moving quite fast. They weren't traveling at Sidon's full swimming speed, but just quickly enough for her to have a gentle ride while still covering a lot of ground.

Zelda took the time to take in the sight of the cliffs and Domain high above them. As Sidon swam, the blue glow from the luminous stone lamps overhead drifted by.

"The Domain looks so different from down here," she murmured as they passed beneath the structure that now loomed above them.

Soon they were upon the first waterfall. Sidon continued to swim forward, and Zelda tightened her grip in anticipation.

"Now would be a good time to tuck back behind me."

Zelda did as she was instructed, and Sidon began his ascent up the falls. The sensation of swimming vertically felt strange to her, and she held onto Sidon for dear life as he grunted with his laborious movements of climbing the falls while supporting her weight.

Zelda was almost certain she would slide right off his back, but thankfully she managed to keep a strong hold on him despite his powerful body twisting and shifting as he swam beneath her grip.

As soon as she felt them reach the pond at the top of the falls, Zelda poked her head out from behind Sidon.

She squeaked upon the sensation of being jerked around as Sidon quickly swam for the next falls. The all-too-familiar pull of gravity as he climbed vertically once again was enough to make Zelda a bit dizzy.

It was all she could do but cling to him, close her eyes, and bury her face in the back of his neck and wait for it to be over.

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 **A/N: Sorry for the slow-ish chapter, but I had to build up for the big kahuna that is the next chapter ;)**

 **xx Cafalla**


	12. Cascading Stars

After a few more rounds of climbing, Sidon reached the top of the last waterfall and forcefully pushed off from the water, propelling the pair high into the night.

"Zelda! Look!"

Upon feeling the chill of the night air and noticing they were no longer in the water, Zelda peeked around Sidon's shoulders and gasped.

He had launched them high into the air, and she could see the whole valley spread out around them. The stars glittered above while the luminous stone lamps from the Domain and the path leading up to it lit up the ground far below. Zelda gaped at the sight of the blazing red lava of Death Mountain off in the distance, and she even caught sight of the moonlit remnants of Hyrule castle.

If only she could've whipped her Sheikah Slate out to snap a photo.

As quickly as the sight entered her vision, the pair began to drop back down to the peak of the mountain. Sidon reached behind him to pull Zelda around to his front, and he held her close as they fell back to the ground. A small splash kicked up around them as he landed in a crouching position in the shallow water with Zelda held close so she would not be injured.

The Hylian Princess stumbled away from Sidon as soon as he opened his arms, and he was met with the radiant sight of her excited expression as she stared up at him in awe.

"That was amazing! Your swimming...and this place...and this view!" She spun around and flung her arms wide open as she breathed in the crisp nighttime air that gently blew around them.

They were standing in the middle of a shallow pool that was roughly a foot deep. The thin layer of water coated a large, ancient Zora stone talisman beneath their feet. Surrounding the circular spot of water were dozens of glowing silent princess flowers and blue nightshade, which created a calm, ethereal ambiance much like the luminous stones used at the Zora Domain. Because they were so high up on the mountain, the peak had a clear view for miles in all directions.

Sidon watched after Zelda as she swiftly walked around to view out in every direction, and watched with pride as she took in the wonder of his magical get-away.

"It is customary for the children to be brought here to teach them a bit about our history. Everyone knows of this place, but few rarely come up here on their own accord, since there's really no reason to visit it again after seeing it once. This is part of the remnants of the old Zora Domain before the new one was constructed." He looked down at the talisman beneath their feet that he was told was once was the center of the old Domain throne room.

"I often come up here to meditate or just to get away when patrols are slow. No one ever comes up here this late, but I think this is the best time to see the true beauty of the Domain and the world around us."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully at this information, through her attention remained on the moon-bathed world around her.

She continued to circle the small peak and stare off into the valleys around them. Sidon moved to sit in the center of the pool, then flopped back so that he was laying in the shallow water. The stars above glittered like diamonds against the black sky.

Sidon closed his eyes and breathed in deeply as he listened to the sound of Zelda splashing around in the water around him. He soon felt the presence of her sitting down next to him.

"I'm glad you brought me along to see your special hiding place."

The Zora Prince cracked an eye open, and Zelda smiled appreciatively down at him before turning and withdrawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her wet hair clung to her back, and Sidon's fingers twitched at the thought of running his fingers through the golden strands.

Zelda, seeming to sense Sidon's rigid energy, moved to lay beside him in the shallow water. The water was cool against her back, and her fingers trailed across the smooth texture of the talisman beneath them.

A defeated sigh escaped her lips as she stared heavenward at the stars. "Link returns tomorrow, and then we'll be setting off for Akkala."

Sidon felt his heart clench at her blunt words, and studied at her profile. Her eyes were now closed, and he mentally traced the gentle curve of her nose and the plump shape of her lips. He subconsciously licked his lips, and quickly looked back to the sky before she could notice him staring.

"Yeah. I'm excited to see Link again as it has been a while, but admittedly I'm sad that you will be leaving."

Her voice was laced with sorrow as she whispered, "I'm sad, too."

Sidon turned back to meet her gaze, and both royal heirs stared at each other's faces, trying to decipher what it was exactly that had grown between them in such a short amount of time. There definitely were feelings of kinship, for they both shared similar struggles and feelings that came with their royal positions, as well as their connection to both Link and Mipha.

But still, beyond the obvious reasons as to why she felt drawn to Sidon, there was something more beneath the surface that brought Zelda comfort when in his company.

A small, bittersweet smile came to Zelda's lips, and Sidon was hit with the feeling of needing to do something, _anything_ , while he still had her here within reach.

He quickly shifted to his side and propped himself up so that he was hovering above her with his hands on either side of her head. The Princess's hair floated around his hands like golden strands of silk in the shallow water around them. Zelda's deep blue eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise.

The Zora Prince's own amber eyes burned as he commanded her gaze, and Zelda felt her stomach flutter with anticipation. She gasped as his hand reached up to cup her chin and tilt it, drawing her lips up and closer to his face.

Zelda shuddered in pleasure at the sensation of his sharp nails grazed over her skin.

He asked softly, as if afraid of scaring her away, "May I?"

Realizing his intentions, Zelda breathed deeply, completely entranced by the handsome Zora. She could barely register her own voice replying a small, "yes" to his request, and her heart all but felt like it stopped at the sensation of his lips pressed against the corner of her own.

Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes fluttered closed as he pulled back to place another kiss upon the other corner of her lips.

Finally his aim landed full upon her lips.

.

.

.

His kisses were so soft that Zelda could barely be sure that he was actually kissing her, though she treasured the sensation nonetheless.

But as she opened her eyes to see the Zora man now staring down at her with worry in his eyes, she realized he was visibly conflicted over his actions.

It took everything in him not to completely kiss her senseless, but despite her consent, the Zora man was unsure whether or not she truly felt the same way he did. He suddenly felt wrong for relishing in this uncertain pleasure, and a wave of guilt washed over him for indulging in his desires.

"I...I'm sorry, Princess. I...perhaps I shouldn't have done that." He averted his gaze, ashamed over his sudden actions, but remained hovering over her.

Zelda frowned as he slipped back into rigid formality, feeling hurt at his sudden withdrawal after kissing her.

"Do you...not like me?" She pulled her hands to her chest and looked away from his face, suddenly feeling foolish.

Sidon turned back to her and sputtered out loudly, "No! Zelda, please, I adore you. I can't tell you how ridiculous I feel over having these feelings after only being in your presence for a few days, and how pained I am to know that you're leaving tomorrow."

He drew one hand up to press against his face in frustration.

Zelda stared up at him, dry mouthed at his confession.

"I just...am not used to feeling this way, and I'm unsure of how to proceed considering you're...well, you."

Sidon sighed, and let his hand fall to stroke some stray hair away from her face. His gaze was trained on his own movements, as he was too afraid to look her in the eye.

"Neverminding the fact that you willingly allowed me to dishonor you."

Zelda blinked in surprise as Sidon sighed once more. The Princess couldn't help but chuckle at his nervous demeanor.

"You didn't dishonor me. You have shown me so much these past few days, and I feel close to you, too. I wish we could have had longer together. And you have been exceptionally honorable this whole while, so do not fret. I would not have allowed you this close if I did not wish for you to be."

Sidon let out a small laugh. Noticing nothing but sincerity in her eyes over the words she spoke, the Zora Prince offered her a warm smile.

Zelda reached up to caress his scar, then moved her hand down to his cheek as she tried to commit his face and this moment to memory.

He nuzzled her hand, relishing in the intimate attention he was receiving from the most powerful woman in all of Hyrule.

"And besides, I wanted you to kiss me." She cautiously grazed his lips with her fingers. A tingling sensation coiled in Sidon's stomach from both her small confession and her touch. "May I?"

He quirked an eyebrow, but nodded, his voice rough as he tried to suppress the overwhelming feeling of excitement welling up in his chest. "Yes, of course. Anything you wish, Zelda."

He licked his lips in anticipation, giving her the briefest sight of his sharp teeth.

Teeth that had once made her nervous, now made her shiver with anticipation.

Zelda cupped his face in her hands and leaned up to place a simple, delicate kiss on his lips.

She pulled back, admiring his handsome face as he remained still with his eyes closed, and leaned in for another coy peck on the lips.

As she started to pull away once more, Sidon reached up to cradle the back of her head. His eyes were still closed as he murmured, "No, please stay."

Zelda couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up at how eager he was to kiss her, which caused Sidon to chuckle as well as they resumed kissing. They peppered one another with light kisses, while curiously indulging in the softness of each other's lips.

After a few more small kisses, Sidon attempted to deepen the kiss. Zelda gasped, and when he recoiled, she mirrored his earlier movements of reaching up to prevent him from pulling away.

"No, it's okay! I'm sorry, I just was surprised."

Sidon nodded in understanding. After analyzing her flushed face for a few seconds, he lowered his face back down to gingerly nuzzle her while giving her small pecks. As she sighed in contentment, he once more tried to push into a stronger kiss.

Even though she was expecting it this time, the feeling of his large, smooth tongue sliding into her mouth caused Zelda to squeak in surprise.

Sidon chuckled against her lips at her cute reaction. He leaned down closer to her, caging her between his body and the talisman in the water beneath them.

Her hands were now rested flat against his chest as she grew accustomed to the salty taste of his mouth, and Zelda dared to push back into the kiss.

Sidon shuddered at the feeling of her hot tongue tentatively sliding against his sharp teeth, and groaned as they continued to explore each other's mouths. He brought his hand up to hold her cheek, and Zelda leaned into his touch while they kissed.

After a couple minutes, Sidon broke away from their kiss to see her face.

He only caught a glimpse of her closed eyes and dreamy appearance before he was met with wide blue eyes staring up at him in confusion.

Sidon calmly looked at her, and Zelda started to blush even harder. "W-What?"

The blue glow from the flowers around them cast an illuminating shine on the couple, and the Zora man couldn't help but lean down to whisper in her ear, "I can't believe I'm passionately kissing our guest, _the_ Princess Zelda of Hyrule. I must have a death wish."

Zelda couldn't help but giggle, though her head was reeling at the ghostly heat of Sidon's breath in her ear.

Before she could reply, Sidon claimed her lips in another kiss. The pressure of his body on top of hers, along with the ferocity of his affection caused Zelda to inadvertently hum and sigh between kisses, which only riled up the Zora man more than he already was.

He moved away from her lips to kiss her cheek, then down her jawline before settling on her neck. The sensation of his sharp teeth scraping against her sensitive skin earned a loud gasp from the Princess beneath him, and Sidon couldn't resist nipping a little bit harder at her tender skin before moving back to her lips.

The low rumble in Sidon's throat and the feeling of his hands moving to tightly grip her hips shook Zelda out of the moment, and she pulled away, breaking their heated kiss.

Sidon's body went rigid as he realized that he had overstepped a boundary, and he immediately pulled himself off of her. Both royal heirs were now sitting up, but avoided each other's gaze in embarrassment.

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

The Zora man froze at her apology, "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who was behaving like an animal."

Heat rose to his cheeks as he relived the intensity of his reaction to assert dominance after Zelda had pushed back.

If the Princess didn't think he dishonored her earlier, she definitely would've thought so now.

"No, please don't be sorry about that. I liked it very much!"

Sidon stared wide-eyed at the blushing Zelda, who was prettily bathed in the silver moonlight as the field of blue flowers served as an enchanting backdrop behind her.

This woman was truly was a Goddess, he thought - a Goddess he had just passionately ravished under the seeing eyes of all those above.

And she _liked_ it.

She liked it _very_ much.

That Rito Champion of her past affections must've been rolling in his grave.

For some reason this brought a feeling of prideful arrogance to Sidon's chest, though he quickly tried to quash it down out of guilt.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't mean to...uh, get so carried away." In typical Link fashion, Sidon nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to carefully gauge Zelda's reaction.

She held her face in her hands for a few moments as she tried to calm herself down.

Sidon fidgeted with his silver cuffs as he stared down at them in shame. The sight of her small hand laying on top of his halted his movements and guided his attention up to Zelda, who looked at him with glittering eyes.

"I truly do like you, Sidon. Obviously things are...complicated. I don't know what the future will bring...if it will bring anything at all." She withdrew her hand to her chest, and they were quiet as they both thought on her words.

Zelda was the Princess of Hyrule after all, and while Sidon too, was of royalty, the Zora were on a much lower level when compared to the Hylian royalty that ruled over all the other factions. Now that the Calamity was over, Zelda and the other Hylians who were previously misplaced would have to band together and work at rebuilding their broken home, as well as establish a central control for all of Hyrule. That would take many years, and then there was the whole other matter of the arranged royal courting customs that were still prevalent throughout most of the domains.

After a few moments, Sidon placed a hand on her head and grinned, "Zelda, I'm not asking to court you - we have only known each other for a few days!"

Zelda gaped at this, not expecting him to break out of the somber mood so quickly. She stammered, trying to regroup her thoughts. "Well, I mean! I wasn't...I know we aren't…"

Sidon chuckled at her cute display while gingerly wiping some of the hair on her forehead away with his thumb. "I'm just kidding. I knew this probably would not lead to anything, but I just wanted to know that you felt the same kind of way I felt during our time together."

Zelda nodded in understanding. "Yes, I did."

The smile that stretched across the Zora man's face was so bright that Zelda had to turn away as she tried to control her racing heart. Sidon rolled his eyes at her sudden display of bashfulness and pulled away to flop on his back by her side.

The girl sat by his side, and both of them indulged in the comfortable silence that had settled between them.

Sidon breathed deeply before gasping at the sight above him.

"Zelda, look!"

Sidon patted her thigh with his hand, causing the Princess to curiously peer down at him. He motioned for her to look at the sky.

Blue eyes turned heavenward, and a small noise of astonishment escaped her at the sight of a dozen or so stars falling across the dark blanket of sky.

"A star shower!"

Her exclamation was met with a soft grunt of approval from the Zora Prince laying beside her, and both heirs watched in awe as a wave of more stars descended over Death Mountain and off towards Tabantha, leaving behind a faint glittering trail in their wake.

As quickly as it began, the stars were gone and the sky returned to normal.

Zelda couldn't help but feel bittersweet sadness over the fleeting beauty of the star shower.

It achingly reminded her of their short time together.

"In our culture, a cascade of stars like this is a good omen for a hopeful future," Sidon murmured as his gaze remained focused up at the midnight sky.

Sidon's view was quickly obstructed as the Hylian girl leaned over him. Her hair tickled his face, and he reached up to run his fingers through the wet strands.

"Then I'm glad we got to see it together. May the Goddess both smile down upon us in the coming days. Thank you, Sidon, I'll always cherish this time we spent together."

Sensing her sincerity, Sidon smiled up at her lovely face, "Yes. I will too, Zelda."

"After Link and I get back to Hyrule Castle, we will unfortunately be quite busy. It may be quite a long time before we are able to meet again." She exhaled the knot that had settled in her chest and watched the breeze ruffle the glowing flowers that surrounded them. "So, don't you go forgetting about me so easily," she whispered to the darkness with a bittersweet smile.

Taken aback by her quiet demand, Sidon stared at her for a moment before a small smile tugged at his lips.

Zelda pulled away to join him on her back in the water. They laid together quietly in the shallow pool under the sea of stars, and Zelda's fingers twitched as she felt Sidon's hand settle on top of her own.

Sidon smiled to himself as the stars glittered brightly in the sky above them.

"I'd never."

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 **A/N: Finally, the big moment I'm sure everyone has been waiting for! I've never written a kissing/making out scene before, so hopefully it wasn't too cringe-worthy haha! And I hope it was worth the wait ;o**

 **xx Cafalla**


	13. Reunion

Sidon slowly blinked awake, and winced at the brightness as it stung his tired eyes. All he could see was a mixture of pale pink melting into dark blue above him, and to the side of him rose a chorus of soft snores.

With a start, the Zora man bolted upright and snapped his head around in an attempt to break the sleepy haze in his head. His armor clinked, and he reached up to touch his jewelry, wondering why he had gone to sleep with it all on.

The feeling of the damp talisman beneath him, and the glimpse from the corner of his eye of the sleeping Zelda curled towards him, smacked Sidon with the realization that they were still up on the mountain peak.

Judging by the way much of the sky was still dark, but with brightness starting to creep up over the peaks to the east, it was just before sunrise.

Horror struck him at knowing he had so easily fallen asleep with the Princess in his care, and in doing so had forced her to fall asleep while laying in a puddle of water!

She would surely catch sickness, and Sidon lunged over to shake her awake, but stopped short upon laying his sights on her innocent face as she slept. He froze and admired the way her long, dark lashes lay curled against her cheeks, and how her lips were gently parted as she breathed deeply in slumber.

He licked his own lips at the memory of their intimacy from only a few hours prior.

If only he could share that and _more_ with her every night.

After a few moments of watching her with a lopsided smile, he begrudgingly shook her shoulder gently in order to wake her up. Zelda had a long day ahead of her, and if Sidon knew Link, than the Hylian man would be popping up at the Domain within the next couple of hours.

The Princess groaned and rolled over, taking her sopping wet hair with her as she turned.

"Zelda...we have to go."

Guilt shot through him over the fact he had allowed them both to fall asleep in the water. While it was no bother to him as a Zora, he knew it would not be comfortable for his Hylian companion to have to deal with the aftermath of sleeping while damp, much less having done so while submerged a few inches in water.

Zelda sleepily blinked and then shot up with a start, much like how Sidon had done moments before.

"W-Where am I? And why am I wet?!"

She looked down at Link's wet Zora armor shirt she wore, and slowly turned to the large, red Zora Prince sitting at her side. Her eyes widened as she realized they had fallen asleep, and Zelda's face immediately went red in embarrassment.

Sidon reached towards her to wipe the water off her cheeks and grinned as he greeted, "Good morning."

Zelda brought a hand up to cover her yawn. "Hello, Sidon. I can't believe we fell asleep out here!"

The Princess stood and stretched, moaning in satisfaction as her body made audible cracking noises. Sidon stood too, and walked to where he could peer down the mountainside at the Domain below. No one seemed to be awake yet, so they could still sneak back without raising suspicion.

"Link!"

Sidon whipped around to see Zelda staring back at him with a shocked expression. "He always wakes up super early, so he probably would be arriving very soon!" She jogged over to him, "We must hurry back!"

The Zora Prince nodded, and bent down for Zelda to climb on his back as she had the night before. This time she was much less shy at being so close to him.

Hiking herself up a bit higher on his back, Zelda leaned over his shoulder to whisper, "Thank you for last night. I hope we can do this again sometime."

Sidon turned his head to her as he stood, and nuzzled against her cheek. "Yeah, I hope so, too."

With that he leapt off the side of the waterfall, and they began their descent. The ride was much easier for Zelda this time as she knew what to expect, but she was caught off guard when Sidon leapt out of the water onto an overhang as they reached the final falls.

He bent down and Zelda got off his back, shooting him a confused look.

Sidon held out his hand towards her and grinned. "Dive with me."

The rising sun behind him cast a golden halo around Sidon, and Zelda found herself breathless at his beauty.

"W-What? Oh, I don't know...I don't think I'm ready." The drop down to the main lake was quite daunting as she peered over the edge. It was one thing to fall while anchored to Sidon, but another to jump and fall all on her own. "I just barely learned how to swim the other day!"

"Don't worry, all you have to do is follow my lead. I'll be there to bring you back up." Sidon winked.

The birds around them started to wake and chirp, and Zelda could see the sun behind Sidon only rising higher up into the sky. Sidon squeezed her hand tightly in reassurance, and Zelda remembered how Link had done the same for her a few days prior.

Link would be arriving soon, and this would be the last adventure she would have with Sidon for Goddess knows how long.

Even though she had previously been scared of the heights, with Sidon by her side she felt an eerie calm wash over her.

After a deep breath Zelda gingerly placed her hand in his, "Alright, but only because I trust you to not let me drown. My promise to haunt you from earlier still stands."

The Zora Prince rolled his eyes at her dramatic threat, "It'll be fun!"

Before she could reply, his fingers wrapped around her hand as he quickly yelled, "Three, two, one, go!"

The ground disappeared from under her feet, and Zelda could only yelp as Sidon leapt over the edge, pulling her with him.

Her grip on his hand tightened in horror, and over the rushing sound of wind she could hear Sidon whooping and hollering as they fell. A few moments had passed and she grew used to the sensation of falling, Zelda found herself joining in on his shouting as she started to find herself enjoying the adrenaline of the fall.

The Zora Domain flew to their eye level and then above them as they dropped, and Zelda loudly squeaked as they hit the water with a loud splash.

Her senses were overcome with freezing water once more, and she started to inhale in surprise as she tried to regain her bearings. Thankfully a strong arm wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up towards the surface.

Zelda sputtered and coughed for air, and Sidon held her close by her hips as he kicked his legs to keep them afloat. His chest rumbled against her body with laughter as he asked, "So, how was it?"

"Aside from accidentally gulping down buckets of water, it was surprisingly not that bad!"

"Good! I'm glad to hear it. I told you I'd get you to dive with me before you left."

Zelda wiped the water away from her face, and was met with a quick peck on the lips from the Zora man holding her.

He rested his forehead against hers and Zelda laughed, "I believe we only jumped, actually, seeing as we didn't hit the water head-first. Jumping is different from diving, y'know, less sophisticated."

Heat rose to his face at having his words thrown back at him. He muttered under his breath and Zelda hummed as they floated wordlessly in the water for a minute, relishing in each other's closeness.

"As much as I hate to say it, I need to be getting you back to the Domain." Reluctantly Sidon pulled away and released the girl in his arms. He turned so that she could grab onto his neck.

Zelda's expression softened in sadness, but neither said a word as they quietly swam back to the Zora Domain to prepare for their parting.

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.

.

Link crossed his arms and frowned at his bouncing knee as he waited for Zelda to return to their room at the inn.

He had arrived about five minutes prior, and while he expected the Princess to have overslept, he had not expected her to have completely _disappeared_.

He sighed as Mipha's foretelling of Sidon and Zelda's budding relationship entered his thoughts. He knew that must be the reason behind their empty room.

Admittedly, Link felt less worried knowing that she was with Sidon, but the Hylian man was still anxious to see his Princess.

This was their longest time apart since felling Ganon, and Link was not a fan of their separation.

His blue eyes shot over to her bag resting neatly on her made up bed, and he stared at it longingly as he tried to bury his apprehension.

As if summoned by his maelstrom of worry, the door to their room softly creaked open, and Zelda quickly shuffled in before turning back to the door and shutting it quietly. She sighed against the door, almost as if she was relieved, but yelped as Link snapped out of his reverie and pointedly cleared his throat.

The Princess spun around and stared wide-eyed at her unimpressed companion, and Link frowned upon taking in her disheveled appearance. She was wearing his Zora armor, and her hair was damp. A light blush painted her cheeks as she trembled slightly, and Link stood from the desk chair to stop in front of her.

Zelda averted her gaze, and Link sighed before pulling her into a hug.

She was wet, and ice-cold to the touch. No wonder she was shivering.

"Link!" She gasped, caught off guard by his affection.

He said nothing as he nuzzled her hair, and Zelda remained quiet for a moment before gripping the front of his shirt and softly apologizing into his chest, "I didn't mean to make you worry."

Link pulled away and held Zelda by her shoulders. He glanced over her body for injuries, and Zelda flushed under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Where did you go?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, um, Sidon took me up to a beautiful lookout spot! Late night is the best time to see the stars, and we accidentally fell asleep while stargazing…" she trailed off with her explanation, and she blushed even harder.

Her excuse was innocent enough, but Link knew there was something else she wasn't willing to talk about yet.

He wouldn't press the matter - he knew she would come to him when she was ready.

"I packed last night, as I was sure I wouldn't have much time this morning. I know how you like to get going as soon as possible."

Link raised an eyebrow and Zelda reached up to nervously tuck her hair behind her ear, but grimaced as she realized her hair was still very damp. Link could tell she would probably be starting to come down with a sickness soon, as she was not accustomed to spending the night out in the elements, especially if she had been wet or damp. He made a mental note to confront Sidon about it later.

Link crossed his arms and motioned with his eyes for her to leave for a shower to get cleaned up.

"After I'm done we will need to bid King Dorephan our farewell and thank him for his hospitality." Her eyes softened as she looked down at her feet, and Link thought she might cry. "And...Sidon as well."

He nodded, and watched Zelda fish a change of clothes from her pack and head out the door towards the baths.

After she was gone, Link allowed himself to let out a deep sigh, and a small smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head.

 _Sidon, huh?_

 _Who would've thought?_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 **A/N: I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter! Unfortunately the end of the story is drawing near, and I suspect the next chapter to be the last ;o; I'm unsure yet because I'm currently editing and revising it, so it may be drawn out into two...we'll see! xx**


	14. Departure

Sidon looked himself over upon finishing dressing in his royal armor. He adjusted his cape one last time and sighed before stalking out of his chambers to head towards the throne room.

Link and Zelda would arrive within the next hour or so for their send off. His father had drilled into him that he was expected to be there this time, especially because Sidon had not been present upon their greeting.

The silver jewelry on his wrists reflected the dewy morning sunlight as he fidgeted with the cuffs.

The feeling of being watched caused Sidon to look up in surprise as he rounded the corner, spotting a familiar blonde leaning casually against the wall. The Hylian Champion was hidden in the shadows near the stairwell leading towards the throne room. His friend's eyes drifted up to him, and Sidon offered a bright smile as he jogged closer. "Link! I did not think I would get to see you before the send off!" he greeted as he joined Link in the shadows.

"Hello, Sidon. I had wanted to speak with you about Zelda," Link stated bluntly after Sidon had stopped in front of him.

Sidon's smile faded at Link's serious tone, and the Zora Prince found himself straightening his back as Link stared up at him.

"Zelda was not in bed when I arrived, and she returned soaking wet."

Guilt pulled Sidon's lips into a frown, as he knew his negligence was the cause of Link's worry and Zelda's sorry state. "I apologize, Link. I had wanted to show her my favorite look-out spot, and thought she would appreciate the view at night. We were laying and watching the stars, but at some point we both drifted to sleep."

Link showed no reaction to his excuse.

Sidon hung his head and crossed his arms as he nervously shifted his weight. "It was my fault she returned so late, I should've been more responsible."

Sidon felt dread building in his chest at the thought of Link loathing him, but was surprised at the Hylian's follow up question.

"Do you love her?"

Sidon felt heat rise to his cheeks as Link watched him with a critical eye. "I...I do not know. I've never met anyone who understood me on such a fundamental level as she does, but we have not spent enough time together to tell if this feeling is truly love. Or if it is something that could later become that."

Their shared moment from last night flashed across his mind and gripped Sidon's heart.

He allowed his amber eyes to lock onto Link's ice blue ones, dropping his guard to the man he considered his only true friend. "I kissed her last night."

It felt like both a relief and a death sentence to have admitted this out loud to his best friend, but Sidon braced himself and evenly stared down at Link.

He would not back down from his feelings, and he would not hide from his actions.

After a painfully long silence, Link cracked a small grin and lifted his arms up in a shrug, "I figured as much. Zelda couldn't stop blushing when I asked her about where she had been."

The sudden shift in Link's demeanor, as well as the information that Zelda was acting as giddy as he felt after last night, caused Sidon to press a hand to his face in embarrassment.

Why did Link always have to toy with him?

"Mipha was enthralled with you two, you know."

Sidon slowly looked up at the name he least expected to hear. "Mipha?"

Link nodded, "She has been watching over you, and she was rather pleased with this... _development_ , between you and Zelda."

The way Link said it was rather nonchalant, but Sidon couldn't stop his mouth from dropping ajar.

"Mipha was able to appear before you, then?"

The blonde nodded and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall and turned his head towards Vah Ruta. Sidon followed his gaze, and quietly thought about the fact that Mipha had actually been watching over him all this time. It was a bit bizarre - and admittedly, a bit sad - to imagine Mipha's spirit was still bound in some way to Vah Ruta, but knowing his sister diligently watched over them brought some pride and relief to Sidon.

The thought also made his heart race, for his sister had seen his budding relationship with Zelda... _and_ she talked to Link about her thoughts concerning it.

Link turned his head back towards a blushing Sidon and nodded towards the stairs above them, "Don't you have a send off to prepare for?"

He blinked in surprise at Link's dismissal, "Yes, I suppose I ought to get going. What are you going to do until then?"

Link shrugged again, but offered his friend a playful smirk, "Wait on Zelda, as always."

"I see." Sidon left the cover of the stairwell, but stopped when he reached the steps. "Link...what do you think of this?"

Link tilted his head as he regarded his large friend, who was now out from the shadows and bathed in the morning sun.

"I think...Zelda deserves all the love and happiness in the world. If you are willing and able to offer it to her, than I could not think of a better suitor for her," he stated simply.

The conviction reflected in his ocean eyes was powerful, and the silence between them as Sidon digested his friend's approval was deafening.

The Zora Prince clasped a hand over his heart, and let out a deep breath to relieve some of the strain on his aching chest.

These Hylians sure knew how to knock the breath right out of him.

Sidon nodded, and shot his friend a confident smile, "Zelda is certainly a woman worth waiting on, isn't she?"

Link returned with his own soft smile, a rare sight meant only for his dearest of friends and loved ones. "Yes, she is."

With that, Sidon turned and padded up the stairs to meet his father in the throne room.

Satisfied with their exchange, Link pushed himself off the wall and headed back towards the inn.

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.

.

"It was an honor to have you come visit us, Princess Zelda. Link." King Dorephan nodded to each of the Hylians, who in turn bowed before the Zora King.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zelda could see the blood red figure of Prince Sidon moving from his place beside his father to come bid them each goodbye. He was dressed in armor much more intricate than his usual attire, and across his shoulders lay an elegant cape. A regal crown sat delicately atop his head, further highlighting the exotic beauty of his golden gemstone eyes and Zora features.

Zelda's heart raced as he grew closer, though Link remained nonchalant by her side.

"Link! I'm sad I did not get to see you this time around. Promise you'll actually hang out next time you stop by!"

Link nodded and playfully rolled his eyes at Sidon's boisterous enthusiasm. He shook hands with the Zora Prince with a lopsided smile on his face.

After their quick, pleasant exchange, neither released each other's hand from the shake as they both suddenly slipped into more serious expressions.

Zelda tilted her head in curiosity as she watched them stare calmly at one another, seemingly exchanging a silent conversation.

After what felt like an eternity, Link smirked, breaking the intensity of their exchange. Sidon chuckled.

Zelda pursed her lips in confusion - she probably never would be able to understand the bond between men.

The Prince patted Link's shoulder with his large hand, and turned to fix his bright amber gaze on Zelda. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

Her mouth went dry, and Zelda nervously tugged at the hem of her tunic. She was reminded of the few days prior where they had first met in this exact same spot.

Oh, if only she knew what had been in store for her back then.

Blue eyes widened as the Prince in front of her knelt on his knee, gingerly took her much smaller hand in his, and placed a light kiss upon her knuckles. Even when he was crouched down, he still was taller than she was.

Sidon spoke with a husky tone and looked down at her with a smoldering stare. "Until next time."

Link had never seen Zelda's face turn such a brilliant shade of red before.

He couldn't hold back the sly grin that tugged at his lips at how easily she could become flustered. Link looked up and took note of King Dorephan's amused expression as they both watched the pair.

Zelda's mouth dropped open and she blinked incredulously at Sidon, who was now standing and chuckling mirthfully at the flustered girl. Zelda pouted and Sidon patted the top of her head in an affectionate matter, much like how he sometimes did with Link when he was poking fun of their height difference.

With her, however, his touch was softer, more gentle, and Link _almost_ missed how Sidon allowed his hand to trail down the side of her face to quickly caress her cheek.

Clearly his Zora friend and his Princess had become quite close in his absence, as Mipha had said, but it was interesting to see them interact up close. Admittedly, a small part of him wanted to press Zelda to understand her thoughts and feelings, but for now, Link was content in playing dumb until she was ready to confide in him.

Zelda would eventually bring the subject up someday on her own terms.

Sidon reluctantly pulled away from Zelda's side and returned to stand beside his father's throne.

"King Dorephan." Zelda's gaze flickered over to the Zora Prince, and Link noticed how Sidon's chest puffed out when the Princess addressed him, "Prince Sidon. Thank you for allowing us into your Domain. I'm glad I was able to see everyone again and meet some new faces. Once Link and I return to Hyrule Castle, we will send word of our next step towards moving forward from the Calamity."

King Dorephan nodded. "We are looking forward to hearing of your plans, and know we are here to help with whatever you may need. Please, take care on your journey, and do come back to visit again soon."

The Hylians politely bowed once more, and Link began to walk away from the center of the throne room to head towards the stairs.

Zelda followed, but hesitated halfway to turn back. King Dorephan was now bent over and conversing with his chef, who no doubt was collecting the King's lunch order.

Prince Sidon, however, was staring straight at her.

Zelda's lips quirked to offer him a bittersweet smile. She gave him a small wave and mouthed "Goodbye."

Before he could return the favor, the Princess turned, and all Sidon could see was her long blonde hair swaying behind her as she jogged to catch up and resume her place by Link's side.

The Zora Prince wistfully smiled as he watched the Hylian girl go down the steps and disappear out of sight. His hand came up to clutch the draping cape that lay over his heart.

"Goodbye, Zelda."

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 **A/N: I can't believe Cascading Stars is already coming to a close! There will be one more chapter that will be an 'epilogue' of sorts, so I do hope you will stay tuned for that. xx**


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

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7 Years Later

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Zelda sighed and stared blankly at herself in the vanity mirror.

Tonight was the night of the suitor's ball, and it was her duty to go out and socialize with the prospective men who traveled from all over Hyrule for the chance to win her heart. According to the counselors, it was well past time for her to find a mate to join her and become King of Hyrule, but that was the last thing Zelda wanted to worry about.

This chore of royalty bored her, and if Zelda was honest with herself, made her bitter.

She already knew the man she wished to court, and the tradition of hosting a ball was nonsense, as well as a waste of everyone's time and resources. But now that Hyrule castle had been more or less restored to its former glory, she had a duty to obey her counselors.

As much as she hated to admit it, she had reached an age beyond when she would've been married had the Calamity not struck, so Zelda knew this situation was bound to arise sooner or later.

She allowed her ocean eyes to drift over to the tattered blue box resting on the edge of the vanity. A bittersweet smile came to her lips as she reached for the box, and the Princess wistfully sighed as she ran her delicate fingers over the ribbon-tied lid.

"Is he coming?"

Zelda jumped at the deep voice from behind her, and spun around in her seat to see Link gently closing the door to her chambers. Her hand that had landed against her chest flattened, and she sighed in relief. "Oh, Link. You startled me!"

Her knight sheepishly grinned and reached for a nearby chair, pulling it up to her side. He sat on the chair backwards with his arms crossed over the headrest. Link blew up at his too-long bangs as he trained his eyes on his princess.

He was dressed in the signature deep-navy royal attire that all appointed knights wore to grand occasions such as this, though Link's uniform had a golden sash indicating he was chosen as a personal knight to one of the royals. More men had worn the golden sash back when there were more royals inhabiting Hyrule castle, but now Zelda was the only one left.

Link's shaggy hair was pulled back in an elegant low ponytail held in place by a navy ribbon, though Zelda could tell he was uncomfortable with the way his hair lay against his neck. He preferred his hair to be long, but would tie it up high or in a messy bun, so the back of his neck could keep cool.

"You clean up quite nicely, Sir Link," she exaggeratedly bowed in her seat, causing Link to roll his eyes.

Zelda turned back towards her box and slowly pulled at the ribbon and lifted the lid, revealing the many pieces of worn parchment contained inside. "But regarding your inquiry...no. According to his last letter, he is still away assisting the distant Zora clan in Labrynna."

Her delicate brows knit as she stared at Sidon's most recent letter on top of the stack, and heard Link huff indignantly at her side. "He's been gone for far too long."

This brought warmth to her chest, as it was obvious Link missed the Zora man just as much as she did.

"He was given a difficult task to help rebuild their home...we of all people should know how arduous a journey it is to restore a kingdom to its former glory." Link thoughtfully propped his face in his hand, and Zelda met him with a longing stare. "But I agree, five years is quite a long time for him not to at least return home for a rest."

Link watched quietly as Zelda placed the lid back over her treasures and retied the ribbon. He looked over his despondent Princess, wishing he could somehow drag his Zora friend back home to her.

Since their return to Hyrule, they had only seen Sidon a handful of times. All the visits had been strictly limited as they were regarding politics and restoration, but once Sidon was ordered to leave for Labrynna to assist the Hyrule Zora's distant relatives, he took to writing letters to Zelda. Link had watched for years as she exchanged lengthy letters with the Zora Prince, and he knew their bond had become too deep for her to even entertain the thought of courting anyone else. When he had last visited Mipha a few months prior, she had been unable to reach Sidon, so she had no advice regarding what Link should say to reassure Zelda of the Zora Prince's return.

Zelda picked up her brush and mindlessly combed through her hair, drawing Link's attention to her unusually elegant attire. Her golden hair was loose - how she normally liked to wear it - but some strands were pulled back and entwined with silk ribbons that cascaded down her back. A pale blue gown that was tastefully modest draped over her body, and a formal shawl rested about her shoulders.

"You look beautiful, Zelda."

She snapped her head up and flushed at his returned compliment. Link chuckled as he was reminded of how she had been flustered in much the same way when Sidon had unleashed his princely charm on her those many years ago.

Zelda tucked some of her hair behind her ear and turned back to her mirror, and Link felt his lips tug into a frown.

Sidon should've been the one here complimenting her, not him. Zelda sadly gazed at her reflection, seeming to come to the same conclusion.

Deciding he needed to give her a moment, Link stood and replaced the chair he had occupied back near her desk.

"I'll wait outside."

"Okay."

Link took his leave, and Zelda looked down at her hands in her lap. How could she go out there and pretend she was enjoying the company of men she never would want anything to do with? It was especially difficult because the counselors were growing weary of her putting off picking a suitor, and didn't believe that the Zora Prince was worth holding out for.

Zelda glanced at her box of letters, then met her reflection in the mirror and steeled her resolve.

She stood slowly and made her way out of her chambers to meet Link, who offered her the crook of his arm. "If you need an out, just let me know."

Zelda looked up to meet her knight's caring face, and tightened her grip on his arm in thanks.

The counselors may not have thought highly of Sidon, but to Zelda, he was worth waiting for.

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.

.

The moon was high in the night sky as the ball was in full swing.

Zelda gulped the clear air on the outside balcony with fervor, mentally thanking Link for distracting the counselors and allowing her the chance to slip away for a while. Her feet were tired from milling about while her eyes were strained from having to steel herself from rolling them after every pompous remark made by her potential suitors.

Seriously, who on the council approved of these guys?

Zelda kicked off her shoes and propped her face in her hands as she leaned on the banister and looked out over the valley. A refreshing breeze blew across her face, and she breathed deeply as her eyes focused in on the mountain peak near Vah Ruta in the distance. It had already been so many years since that night, but the memory of Sidon's lips and body pressed against hers still caused her skin to tingle and her heart to race.

Zelda closed her eyes and channeled her thoughts to the Goddess. Sidon's most recent letter outlined the progress he was making across the ocean. She was glad for him, really, as he seemed to enjoy the work and bonding with his distant relatives, but Zelda couldn't decipher what his intentions were. They had never explicitly entered into a courtship, and it felt too brash for her to straight up ask him what his thoughts were regarding their relationship, especially through a letter.

But Zelda couldn't help but want _more_.

She wanted him to come home to Hyrule.

She wanted to properly ask him if he'd enter into a courtship with her.

She wanted to see if he would welcome the idea of spending his life with her, and become King of not just the Zora Domain, but all of Hyrule.

Zelda groaned and pressed her face into her hands, willing her cursed blush to disappear.

Approaching footsteps signaled Zelda to Link's return, and she composed herself before leaning back from the banister. "So it seems the counselors already managed to chase you off, huh Li-"

Her playful greeting was cut short as she turned to address her knight, but froze at the sight of the last person she had expected to see.

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.

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Sidon tried to calm his haywire heartbeat as he tentatively approached the Hylian Princess.

Goddess, she was even more lovely than he remembered.

Zelda blinked up at him incredulously as he came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Unfortunately, Link has been taken hostage by a rowdy group of maidens. Poor guy will probably be batting them away all night." He cracked a friendly grin and bowed before her, but Zelda remained awestruck with her lips slightly parted in confusion. She stared up at him, as if not comprehending his presence. "Zelda. I have been looking everywhere for you."

The woman in front of him visibly flinched when he spoke her name, but it shook her out of her reverie. "S-Sidon! I thought...I thought that you were still away in Labrynna?"

He pursed his lips in shame, "I was, but I decided to make haste and return once I caught word of this ball being held."

Sidon stepped closer to her and tried to stifle the butterflies that had erupted in his stomach. It had been too long since he had last laid eyes on her, and he was amazed by how much she had grown in just a short amount of time - it was astonishing how quickly Hylians matured, whereas Sidon probably still looked the same in her eyes.

The image of the uncertain girl from years ago was gone, and in front of him now stood a regal woman who had grown into her adulthood to take on the weight of New Hyrule. Sidon could sense something had shifted in her being.

She had pride in her aura that was not present years ago, and it took his breath away.

Zelda flushed and averted her gaze, only able to utter a small "oh" in reply.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you of my attendance. I guess I just...wanted to surprise you…" He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck, realizing how awkward this must've been for her. They had only spoken through parchment and ink for the past five years, and here he was showing up so casually out of nowhere.

Zelda pressed her hand over her mouth and her eyes crinkled. Sidon's breath skipped, thinking he had brought tears, but realized she was stifling her laughter. "Well, you definitely surprised me!"

She bowed slightly and beamed up at him, "Prince Sidon of the Zora Clan, welcome back."

Sidon chuckled at her achingly familiar antics that reminded him of their time spent together at the Domain. "It is good to be home. Labrynna is lovely, but it could never compare to Hyrule."

He joined her side at the railing and the pair turned back towards the scenery. Zelda peered up at him, "I know you have written to me about your time there, but I do hope you will tell me all about it now that we are together in person."

"Of course. I intend to go back to the Domain for a bit before returning overseas, but I'd like to spend a week or so here catching up with you and Link, and offer my assistance with any labor around the castle. But from the looks of it, you fared very well with the restoration."

"So you are...returning overseas soon?" Zelda quietly asked, not even registering his compliment regarding the castle.

"I still a have a few more things to tend to over there, so yes, the plan is to return and finish my assignment." Sidon looked away from her pained gaze and gulped. He has spoken so level-headedly, but his heart was erratic at the thought of leaving her again.

A tense silence permeated the air around them, and Sidon unconsciously clutched at the cape draped over his shoulder. His amber eyes roamed to the sky above. A flash caught his attention, and his jaw dropped slightly as a lone star fell across the sky before a flurry of other stars followed in its wake.

"Zelda!"

His hand shot out to rest on her shoulder. Zelda picked her head up and gasped loudly at the sight. The pair watched in awe at the cascade of stars flutter across the midnight sky, both of them transported back to that romantic night they shared years ago. After the stars fizzled out, Sidon turned to face Zelda, his hand still on her shoulder.

A surge of confidence and an aching desire to voice his feelings spilled out and overrode the rigid sense of formality he had been painfully trying to uphold since arriving. This feeling was not unlike the one he felt when he become emboldened to kiss her back then.

Zelda brought a hand up to her chest and Sidon could feel her body tense in anticipation. Her large ocean eyes sparkled up at him, and Sidon licked his lips before spitting out, "I came here because I wish to ask for your hand in courtship!"

He did not allow his gaze to waver, and kept locked on her face as he awaited her reaction. It was bold of him to assume she would accept his proposal to court him. Sidon was an unsightly Zora man of lower royalty, and definitely not one fit for being her husband, much less the King of all of Hyrule. From the chatter he had overheard from the ballroom, it seemed many men were only there for the title marrying Zelda would bring, and it caused Sidon's blood to boil.

But...what if she had moved on?

She was hosting a suitor's ball after all. What if she had already met a man and promised herself to him. It was late enough into the evening for her to have been swept up by another, even if his intentions were not pure. Nausea bubbled deep in Sidon's belly, and he cursed himself for saying such a brash thing unprovoked.

No...this was Zelda. She would not diligently reply to his lengthy letters unless she enjoyed receiving his reply. She would not open up to him so freely if she did not trust him with the words that sprung from her heart. This was the same woman who shared his feelings back then, and Sidon could only hope they hadn't wavered in his absence.

Zelda's eyes widened, but she had not spoken, and Sidon instinctively withdrew his hand from her shoulder.

"Wait!"

Warmth enveloped his hand as Zelda's smaller hands grabbed onto it, and Sidon's heart practically stopped. Tears welled up in her eyes and Sidon swallowed at the unsightly image of his monstrously large hand being cradled by her thin fingers.

"I'm sorry. Please ignore what I said. I spoke out of turn," he murmured in embarrassment and clenched his jaw. Her hold on his hand tightened.

"Why would you show up and say the one thing I've waited years to hear, only to take it back before I even had a chance to reply?"

The tears that had been fervently hanging onto her lashes finally fell, leaving a shining trail down her flushed cheeks. Sidon gaped down at her, overcome with shock at her words.

"I had wanted to ask the same of you, but you had a mission away in Labrynna...I thought for sure you were to be wed to someone over there. This ball was all the counselors' doing! I wanted no part in it, because I had one day hoped to ask the man I truly admire if he would stay with me. He has been gone for far too long and the counselors were not pleased with my decision."

Sidon's chest was achingly tight as he quietly listened to her confession.

Zelda released his hand to paw at her face, though words kept tumbling from her lips, "I cherished getting to know you through our letters, and it wasn't fair to ask you to consider courtship with me when you were working so hard over there. I tried for years to ignore the feelings you stirred within me, but I couldn't! My thoughts ever since that night have always remained with you!" Zelda cried, "And here you are, casually showing up after all this time to say the words I only dreamed of ever hearing, and yet you take them back so easily as if-"

Sidon shushed the exasperated Princess as he pulled her close and held her tightly in his arms. She sobbed into his stomach and Sidon gently ran his clawed hand through her hair in an effort to comfort her.

Despite his calm facade, his mind was racing and his heart yearned to burst free from his chest. The overwhelming feelings of joy and relief at her confession coursed through his body, but shame and guilt also twisted within him at hearing of the loneliness she had felt in his absence.

He scooped her up so that he could hold her more comfortably, and her arms flew to grip around his neck as she buried her face into him. Sidon whispered sweet apologies over and over again into her hair.

After her breathing had become regular and her tears had dried, Zelda pulled away to look him square in the eye, but hesitated to say anything. Her hands were fisted against his shoulders, causing his scales beneath her touch to feel overheated.

Sidon couldn't help but try to lighten the tension with a playful smirk, "So, is that a yes?"

She held a hand up to cover her mouth and bashfully looked away from his intense gaze, "O-Of course! Was my embarrassing outburst not proof enough of my feelings?"

Sidon laughed, causing Zelda to flush an even darker shade of red. He gently placed her down so that she was sitting on the balcony rail, and he leaned in close as he brushed her stray bangs away from her face.

"I can't believe I left you for so long," he murmured under his breath as he drank in her dressed up appearance. Jealousy flared within him at knowing she was dressed up this way to be presented to all the conniving men in the ballroom. "We both have suffered because I couldn't come clean about how my feelings for you have only grown since that night, and for that, I am sorry. I must be the most foolish man in all of Hyrule."

Sensing her retort coming, Sidon bridged the gap between them to silence her with a chaste kiss. It was a short, simple touch, but it managed to ignite sparks in Sidon's belly.

"It's not your fault entirely, I could have written my feelings down for you at any point," Zelda muttered as she tried to look anywhere but at Sidon's handsome face.

He cupped her chin, drawing her attention back to him.

Zelda pouted as she admitted, "Our meeting back then was so quick and passionate, that I worried I was holding onto a fleeting moment."

"You and me both."

They studied each other and tried to come to terms with confronting the feelings they allowed to lay dormant at the back of their minds for so long.

"Your counselors do not approve of me, do they?" Sidon begrudgingly asked.

Zelda shook her head, "It's not that they don't approve of you, I think they just got tired of me waiting for you. They are just in a hurry to fill the King's role. Like I said, most of us probably figured you were being shipped off to fulfill an arranged marriage."

A deep hum rumbled through his body in understanding, "That makes sense, seeing how my assignment was so lengthy. Lucky for you, all the eligible Zora royals over in Labrynna are male. They're not really my cup of tea."

Zelda breathlessly giggled, and Sidon cradled the side of her face as he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "Besides, I've always had a thing for pretty Hylian Princesses."

His sharp teeth scraped across the cuff of her ear, and Zelda yipped as she flung herself back from him, wobbling as she tried not to fall backwards over the railing.

Sidon's hands moved to her waist to steady her, and her hands rested atop his forearms as she looked up at him with a shy smile. Her cheeks were still flushed a brilliant shade of pink. "I think...this might somehow be the Goddess's doing - the circumstances of us meeting."

The Zora Prince quirked his brow down at her, asking her to elaborate.

"I last saw a star shower with you that night, and suddenly you appear just in time for us to witness the rare phenomenon together once more."

"How do you know they are rare?"

Zelda averted her gaze and scratched her cheek, "Well, I may or may not have extensively researched stars and the recorded history behind star showers…"

Sidon chuckled as she trailed off, and he leaned back in for another kiss.

"I'll be sure to offer her a plentiful prayer tonight, then," Sidon murmured against her lips, causing Zelda to smile as she kissed him back.

Unlike their passionate first kiss all those nights ago, the kisses they exchanged now were soft and tender, conveying to one another the uncertain, hesitant longing they had developed with their distance. They remained sharing fleeting, ghostly kisses as they caressed each other's faces and hands, relishing in the meeting of their bottled up feelings coming together once more under the same stars that bore witness to their first kiss.

The sound of footsteps lulled them back to the present, and Sidon turned to address the one responsible for interrupting his long-awaited reunion with the Hylian Princess.

His eyes widened at seeing Link rounding the corner, looking disheveled and out of breath.

A mischievous grin tugged at Sidon's lips as recognition dawned on Link's face at seeing his friend, "Ah, Link! I'm surprised you managed to escape the maidens' grasp!"

Link huffed as he debated whether to glare or smile at his large Zora friend, but a movement caught his eye as a hand grabbed Sidon's bicep. He realized it was Zelda's hand that ushered Sidon to move aside so she could poke her head around his large form to see her knight.

She was delicately perched on the balcony railing, and Sidon's hands rested on her hips as he towered closely above her.

Link felt his face light up at realizing he must have interrupted an intimate moment.

He bowed quickly, "The counselors demanded I return you to the ballroom."

Zelda's rosebud lips fell into a frown, and Link straightened and shot her an apologetic look. His ocean eyes looked to Sidon, then back to Zelda, and he arched a bushy eyebrow. Sidon glanced down at Zelda to see her raise both of her eyebrows before demurely blinking at Link with a small smile.

Confused, Sidon turned back to Link for answers, only to see his friend smirk and nod before bowing once more. "I will tell them you will be following after me shortly. It is good to have you back, Sidon."

"Thanks," Sidon replied awkwardly, unsure of the exchange that just occured between his Hylian friends.

After Link made his exit, Sidon bent down so that he was eye-to-eye with Zelda. "What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" she parroted innocently, though the gleam in her eye told Sidon she knew exactly what he meant.

"That thing with Link…" He felt heat rise to his cheeks. A weird sense of shame struck him at knowing he was not close enough with them to understand the meaning of their nonverbal communication.

"Oh, he asked me if you accepted my courtship invitation." She said it so simply, as if it should've been obvious.

Sidon felt his eye twitch, as he knew she was toying with him. "And...how did you respond?"

Zelda shrugged, "I told him you accepted."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that."

Sidon shook his head as he chuckled and helped her down from the balcony railing, "To be fair, I was actually the one who asked you first, so you are the on who accepted _my_ invitation."

"Alright, whatever you say," she said with a mischievous wink.

Sidon shook his head fondly as he watched her slip her shoes back on. Zelda reached for his hand, and they began to shuffle towards the archway leading back into the ballroom.

Zelda stopped, a thought suddenly striking her.

"Sidon, what about King Dorephan? Does he not have someone in mind for who he wants you to court and wed?" she asked hesitantly.

The Zora Prince's eyes trailed up in a thoughtful manner, "Well, he had been implying about a woman he approved of and wanted me to seek out. Admittedly she is quite beautiful, and has features that I particularly find desirable in a mate."

Zelda froze, and tried to pull her hand away from his in panic. His stronger grip latched onto her hand, not allowing her to move away.

"That woman is the Princess of Hyrule, if you can believe it. She had come to visit our Domain many years ago, and we shared many adventures! I happened to fall in love with her, and it seemed that my father noticed this back then. He encouraged me to pursue her when the time was right."

His bright amber eyes bore down into her soul, and Zelda stifled a whimper in frustration. She punched at his arm with listless pats as he grinned down at her.

"I guess I deserve that," she pouted.

Sidon laced his fingers with hers and began to drag her towards the ballroom. "Do not ever doubt yourself or my feelings for you."

Zelda stared up in awe as the golden light from the ballroom illuminated the back of Sidon's head as he turned to encouragingly smile down at her.

"Come! I want to meet these counselors of yours and prove to them I am worthy of being the one by your side."

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 **A/N: Ahhh, gosh I can't believe we have finally reached the end! And funny enough the epilogue turned out to be longer than any of the actual chapters of this story! I just got on such a roll writing it...I think it was worth it though to reach a satisfying, hopeful ending for these two! Please, feel free to let me know your thoughts ^^**

 **And thank you to everyone who has followed along with this story! I've mentioned it a lot, but this is my very first attempt at writing a chapter fic, and I can't believe we reached 15 chapters! It's oddly satisfying, though I know I wouldn't have gotten here if not for your encouraging reviews, as I tailored much of the second half from the feedback I received. Again, thanks for reading and enjoying Cascading Stars xx**


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